The $57 million IT disaster at Immigration NZ - Visa Matters

The $57 million IT disaster at Immigration NZ

Ankur Sabharwal is the owner of immigration advisory Visa Matters. He is a licensed immigration adviser dealing with complex immigration matters.

OPINION: If you’d paid $57 million for a new visa processing machine, you’d expect it to be able to issue visas correctly, wouldn’t you?

Incredibly, at the time of writing, Immigration New Zealand’s (INZ’s) new ADEPT visa processing technology isn’t performing that crucial task.

Not that INZ will admit to it

At least, that’s what licensed immigration advisers (LIAs) are telling me. I asked INZ twice what are the main problems with ADEPT, and twice they wouldn’t say.

INZ does admit to “challenges” and “hitches” with the new system which have caused frustration, though it won’t list what they are.

So let me do it for you

ADEPT was introduced in March this year, costing $57 million, and so far about 200,000 applications have been “successfully submitted” on the new IT platform, according to INZ.

The hitches which INZ won’t tell you about include:

  • Applications not able to be lodged
  • Documents not able to be uploaded
  • Documents uploaded but never reaching INZ and being “lost in space”
  • Applications delayed because INZ is unaware that documents have been uploaded
  • Automated requests for documents which are already on file
  • Application forms which have been fully completed by clients but show missing details when they arrive on INZ’s screen
  • Visas issued which are blank
  • Visas issued with incorrect approval dates, incorrect visa conditions and incorrect client details.

In one mishap, which INZ owned up to, 3200 visitor visa applications lodged between 1 August and 21 September didn’t get processed at all because they “didn’t progress through the platform as expected” – that is, they got stuck, and INZ took several weeks to realise.

Do these problems happen all the time?

It’s fair to say that these problems have been intermittent. INZ keeps trying to fix them by taking their online ADEPT system down at short notice.

That in itself can be a problem. If someone’s visa is about to expire and INZ’s ADEPT system is down, the client will end up unlawful (without a visa) unless they can lodge a new application in time.

Lodging a paper application isn’t an option. INZ hasn’t published a paper-based application form for the main work visa category, Accredited Employer. This would have led to manual handling, increased costs and processing times, INZ told me.

Come on, Ankur, give INZ a break, you’re always on their back, man!

Yes, I know, I sound harsh.

The reason why I’m tough on INZ’s failures is that they sometimes affect migrants really badly.

IT errors lead to more rework by INZ staff. They lead to applications taking longer to process. They waste the time of employers, applicants and immigration advisers who have to keep following up with INZ to sort out problems with their applications.

People’s lives are on hold, waiting for visas to be issued to allow them to stay in our beautiful country.

The other reason I’m critical is that INZ is always surprised by:

  1. How many people use their IT system to apply for visas (INZ didn’t think so many people would want to come to New Zealand after the borders reopened!); and
  2. How their system is actually not fit for purpose.

The chair of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment, immigration lawyer Nicola Tiffen told me: “The real problem may be … that the system was initially designed to deal with a much lower load of applications.

“It appears to me that applications, such as the Resident Visa 2021, were not anticipated when the system was designed, nor was the sheer volume of applications.

“Therefore, this appears to be the source of the problems that LIAs, lawyers, employers and migrants are encountering, such as the system crashing, data disappearing from forms after submission, and incorrect information appearing on visas. This has been raised with the Minister and senior INZ representatives.

“My understanding is that these issues are being taken very seriously and they are hoping to run a number of fixes over the next few weeks to address many of these issues.”

Things will get better, though

INZ will be annoyed if I don’t quote the glass-half-full spin they gave me this week, so let me end on an optimistic note about its ADEPT system:

“As with any new large-scale technology and business change programme there is a period of bedding-in required, where staff are learning the new processing model and procedures. During this time, it is also normal to identify and address any issues,” said Stephen Dunstan, INZ’s General Manager Enablement.

“As expected, productivity is increasing as workarounds are removed and staff become more efficient at using the system.

“This is also the case for frequent users of the system, including lawyers acting for applicants and licensed immigration advisers.”

The two dozen immigration advisers who contacted me for this article, expressing their ongoing frustrations with ADEPT, tend to disagree.

DISCLAIMER: This article does not constitute immigration advice. Individuals need to seek personal advice from a New Zealand licensed immigration adviser or lawyer to assess their unique situation. Ankur can be contacted at info@visamatters.co.nz.

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