This is an outline of changes and improvements that were rolled out during the Vision 2015 Programme and a summary of what the Vision 2015 Programme has delivered so far.
| August 2014 |
- Launched the online forms for student visa applications.
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| November 2014 to March 2015 |
- Rolled out eMedical (an electronic system that allows visa applicants and medical doctors worldwide to record and securely upload health assessments required with visa applications) to 129 countries, including New Zealand.
- Established a global network of panel doctors.
- Set up in-house clinical capability.
- Reviewed and redeveloped immigration health screening requirements.
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| June 2015 |
- Launched online forms for single applicant visitor and work visa applications.
- Launched a simplified Chinese form for visitor visa applications.
- Added the ability for third parties (for example, licensed immigration advisers) to apply on behalf of a visa applicant using the online forms.
- Introduced eVisas to onshore visitor visa applications (all nationalities except China) and all work visa applications from visa waiver countries. This removed the need for a visa label to be attached to a passport.
- Centralised the administration of onshore visa applications and passport handling to the Auckland-based documentation office.
- Introduced standard operating procedures for visitor, student, and work visa applications submitted online.
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| May 2015 to October 2015 |
- Rolled out the triage and verification capability that enables visa applications to be prioritised according to risk levels, and verification and processing effort to be aligned to the application's risk level.
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| November 2015 to December 2015 |
- Extended eVisas to all onshore visitor, student, and work visa applications.
- Introduced Visa Verification Services for third parties and visa applicants to get visa entitlement information. For example, students can show they have the right to work in New Zealand.
- Created new visa assessment tools for frontline staff.
- Extended the VisaView service (an online system used by employers to check migrants' eligibility to work in New Zealand) to education providers. This will allow education providers to check whether a student has a valid visa.
- Positioned the Immigration New Zealand contact centre as the main contact point for customer queries.
- Aligned onshore counter services.
- Established a customer insights capability to measure and understand customer experience.
- Introduced further standard operating procedures to support changes.
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| March 2016 |
- The new visa processing operating model was handed over to the business. This included policies, procedures, templates, and a corporate knowledge base for storing and retrieving information related to the Vision 2015 Programme.
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| March 2016 to May 2016 |
- Created a new performance management and reporting framework for Visa Services.
- Created quality control and quality assurance processes for the new visa processing operating model.
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| June 2016 |
- Rolled out the first release of the new identity management system. The system will automatically match visa applicants' photographs and fingerprints against information already held by Immigration New Zealand.
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