11. Question No. 11—ImmigrationSTUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 11—Immigration11. STUART SMITH (National—Kaikōura) to the Minister of Immigration: Is Immigration New Zealand taking any steps to improve visa processing delays and what impact is the fact more applications were made under the New Zealand Residency Programme than the current planning range allows having on delays?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister of Immigration): Thank you Mr Speaker. In relation to the first part of the question yes; in relation to the second part we have seen an increase in the number of applicants under the New Zealand Residence Programme in the last few months. This is unsurprising given that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in 10 years and our wage rates are growing strongly. This may mean that resident visa applications are queued for a longer period of time.Stuart Smith: Can he confirm official advice which shows visa processing delays are expected to get worse?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: No.Stuart Smith: Are visa applicants informed of the lengthy delays for processing times when they apply and if not does he think that officials should be upfront about the delay given that applicants are paying for that service?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Visa processing times are published on the Immigration New Zealand website.Marja Lubeck: Can the Minister provide an example of the importance of Immigration New Zealand's greater focus on risk management and verification?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Yes. An example is the case of 47 cases of fraudulent financial documentation relating to a number of Vietnamese visa applications where Immigration New Zealand is currently taking action. In relation to Vietnam Immigration New Zealand and Education New Zealand have agreed to an industry agent engagement programme to grow high-quality student enrolments and deter fraud.Stuart Smith: Does the Minister think it's satisfactory for essential skills visa processing times to have almost doubled to 76 days since the current Government took office and if so how will he fix it?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: I am concerned at the increase in visa processing times and I have asked Immigration New Zealand to keep me up to date on the work that they are doing to deal with those. Immigration New Zealand has advised me that they have embarked on a comprehensive project to reduce processing times including significant staff recruitment; office expansions in Henderson Hamilton and Mumbai; and stakeholder engagement to explain the current state in how to provide visa applications that are decision-ready and therefore move much more quickly through the system. I am being regularly updated by officials and significant progress has been made—members opposite may like to listen to this—with a 22 percent reduction in essential skills visa applications on hand in the past seven weeks and a 10 percent reduction in student visa applications on hand over the same period of time.Stuart Smith: Does the Minister consider that visa processing delays are negatively impacting businesses and the overall economy?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: As I have already said I am concerned about current processing times and I expect Immigration New Zealand to focus all their attention on reducing those times.Stuart Smith: Can he confirm that Immigration New Zealand is actively seeking to recruit overseas workers to help with visa processing in New Zealand and if so how long will it take to process their work visas?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: No.