About 39,000 people and their families are waiting for news on their residence applications, 32,000 of them as skilled migrants. Jessie Le says she is unable to plan her life because of the uncertainty she is facing over her visa. "I call them after one year, and now they're saying we don't know when it will happen." She said it's a money making trick to charge $3500 to apply for a residence visa, then more than $400 when temporary visas expire in the meantime. All applicants had to meet immigration requirements for residence at the time their application was decided, she said.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 25, 2020 00:33 UTC