- Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the number of people waiting for an outcome of their Citizenship by Grant application is at the lowest level since August 2020.
"Finding efficiencies within the Department of Internal Affairs, including by reducing wait times for citizenship applications, has been a priority for me, and I'm pleased to see the real progress being made," says Ms van Velden.
"In the past, I've heard about the impact citizenship delays have had on people and their families. Becoming a New Zealand citizen is a milestone moment that deserves to be celebrated, not overshadowed by lengthy wait times."
"Currently, just over 13,700 people are waiting for citizenship decisions, down from a high point of 37,690 in April 2022."
A sustained focus on performance and improved processing flows implemented in March this year have made a hugely positive impact on citizenship processing and has delivered real results.
"These are not just numbers, these are people who are contributing to our economy and communities. From teachers and nurses to engineers and small business owners, these people are building lives here while waiting on citizenship."
"Focusing on performance and reducing the backlog continues while new applications continue to be made, however I'm proud of the hard work in the citizenship office to date."
Currently the oldest applications being picked up are just over two months old, compared to October 2023 when the oldest applications were from September 2022.
This represents an 11-month improvement in how quickly the Department starts work on applications.
"Congratulations to the Department for the results and a larger congratulations to all the new Kiwi citizens."
