A travel agent has decried the inconvenience and inconsistency of the New Zealand Immigration Office's visa application process for their clients keen on visiting Aotearoa.

The owner of Global Travel in Apia, Jackie Fepuleai told the Samoa Observer that they are caught in the middle between their clients and the NZ Immigration Office most of the time, with the process becoming frustrating for many of their clients, who are ordinary Samoan citizens.

She said one of the main concerns they have, which is experienced on a daily basis, is the lack of a prompt reply from the Immigration Office to their clients' visa applications. 

"So we've had people coming to us for help in lodging their applications for visas to travel to New Zealand," Mrs Fepulea'i said. "Most of them had already been to the New Zealand Immigration Office before they were asked to come to us for assistance. 

"We do acknowledge that they refer the people to our office because they only open their doors to members of the public for only one hour and expect the people to do everything online. 

"It's ridiculous because a lot of these people are travelling from the rural areas, they had to catch the early bus to make it to town and they are usually in a rush to catch the bus to go back home."

One of the biggest hurdles most Samoans face is the online visa application process – which the Immigration Office uses and refuses to change despite appeals for a review – due to ordinary citizens' lack of computer literacy.

Mrs. Fepulea'i pointed out this shortcoming during her interview with this newspaper and added that the Immigration Office has "no compassion and empathy", especially for those needing urgent visas due to funerals of loved ones in New Zealand.

"Some of our people from the rural areas, especially the elderlies who wish to travel to New Zealand for funerals and to visit families, don't even have computers or have any knowledge of how to fill up the forms online. So we try our best to be of service to our people, but we can only do so much and lodge their applications. 

"But then we have to wait for them on our client's application and they are not very helpful when we follow it up with their office. It does not make any sense as they were the ones who referred the people to us in the first place."

This newspaper contacted Philip Sinclair at the Immigration Office in Samoa via email for a response to the concerns raised by the local travel agent and members of the public. However, Janine Parsons, who is the Operations Director for the Pacific responded to this newspaper. 

"Since May 2022, Samoan nationals wanting to visit New Zealand must apply for their visa online," said Mrs. Parsons in her email. "Immigration New Zealand (INZ)’s online system means they can apply, and apply on behalf of family, from anywhere in the world and significantly reduces the need for paper applications to be submitted in person. 

"Guides on how to apply for a visitor visa are available on the INZ website in both English and Samoan - A guide to applying for a New Zealand visitor visa online — Samoan (immigration.govt.nz)

"The need to make an online application is a model already in place with other nations who receive large numbers of applications from Samoan applicants. INZ's shift to online processing has allowed us to be responsive to growing numbers of applicants in Samoa.

"We have seen many visa applications from Samoa nationals successfully received using the online submission platform. Thousands of people from the Pacific have successfully made applications online and we have welcomed them into New Zealand."

She then explained the reason why the office in Samoa only opens for one hour every day, saying customers in Apia are invited but on an appointment basis, and their online application system reduced the need for a full-time public counter to attend to queries. 

"Other Pacific offices in Nuku’alofa and Suva operate on an appointment-only basis. Our Samoan office can also be reached for queries via our public email inbox ([email protected]) and phone lines (PH: +685 217 15 | PH: +685 217 16). Customers are also able to call the Immigration Contact Centre on 0508 558 855 for queries. 

"Immigration officers approve or decline visa applications based on whether the applicant meets, or does not meet, the visa requirements set out in the immigration instructions. Immigration New Zealand’s role as regulator is to apply the relevant immigration instructions when deciding on a visa application. We receive frequent requests to process applications for urgent situations and deal with these on a case-by-case basis.

"We expect a high standard of behaviour from our staff. If an individual has a concern, they can raise this through our complaints process - Complaining about INZ services and processes | Immigration New Zealand."

However, Mrs. Fepulea'i is not the only public figure to raise concerns, on behalf of her clients, as a Samoa Cabinet Minister last month also raised his concerns and pointed out the difference in the processing times for a Samoan applying for a New Zealand-run Recognised Seasonal Employment (R.S.E.) scheme compared to others trying to visit families in Aotearoa.

"Another thing our policy is trying to address is there are only two days of wait for an R.S.E. working visa but for a visitor's visa, it takes two months so how fair is that?" said the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Labour, Leatinu'u Wayne So'oialo. "This is because they issue their visa under their program (R.S.E.) because they need it.

"But when your mother or father applies for a visa to visit relatives or go to a funeral, they'll have to wait for two months and it's up to the New Zealand Immigration if it's granted or not so why is it that this visa (R.S.E.) is easily granted and this visa (visitor's visa) is delayed and it goes to Australia as well and so these are the issues that the policy is trying to address."

The fact that Samoa is also part of the Commonwealth has also got Leatinu'u riled up over what he describes as unfair visa processing turnover times and questioned whether the Samoa-New Zealand Treaty of Friendship meant anything to New Zealand. 

"Samoa is under the Commonwealth and they should allow three months of free visa for us to travel there but they're not doing it for us. Other countries are doing it for us under the regulations of the Commonwealth but not New Zealand [and Australia]. Treaty of Friendship. Where is that?"

Mrs. Fepulea'i said her office's frustration is "nothing personal" against the NZ Immigration Office. But they want to serve the community and their clients to the best of their abilities, which she said cannot be achieved when "they are not respected and recognised and are kept in the dark" most of the time by the NZ Immigration Office. 

"Gone were the days when that office was flexible and showed compassion for our people. Nowadays, the applicants get their visas declined for the smallest things and there's no consistency in how the visas are approved. 

"They have to understand that they only open their doors one hour per day. Their website is a little complex for the ordinary citizens of Samoa living in the rural area. 

"And to top it off, everything is in English. There's no Samoan translation and we try our best to assist our people with what we have and with all that we got. 

"Another thing we had discovered is that if there are people who have relatives working in that office, they can get their visas approved within a day. It's unacceptable and yet we keep hearing them talk about this Treaty of Friendship between the two countries yet, this office and their actions does not reflect this relationship we share."