Resident visa applicants frustrated with Immigration New Zealand after website crash

Immigration New Zealand’s website crashed as migrants flocked to apply for the 2021 resident visa, which became available on Tuesday.

A statement on the Immigration New Zealand website said the crash was due to “unprecedented demand” as the website had reached capacity.

The website was recently updated to increase the number of apps it can handle.

But applicants were frustrated that the upgrades did not prevent many people from being left out of the application process.

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Potential candidates expressed their frustration on Facebook. One person said they were put on hold for 269 minutes when they called for help.

Director General of Immigration Geoff Scott said the loading issue had been resolved.

Scott said as of 1 p.m., the department had received about 4,000 requests, with another 6,000 still in the system being processed by users.

The previous record number of applications received in 24 hours was 3,526.

“It’s an important day for many migrant families and we’ve worked hard to ensure a positive customer experience for those who submit applications,” Scott said.

The ACT party’s immigration spokesman, Dr James McDowall, said the website crash was another “personal focus” of the department.

“Previously, Immigration New Zealand was taking too long to process applications. Now his website crashes even before they are accepted. He again failed to do basic planning, with his efforts to manage today’s rollout resulting in a down website,” McDowall said.

The solution was to address the long processing times, which had applicants desperate to get their applications as soon as possible, he said.

Immigration New Zealand has been approached for comment.