Immigration New Zealand (INZ) says a technical glitch affected the Parent Category draw it ran on Tuesday 10 November, and that it is still working to finish the selection.
The draw was the first under the new hybrid model for the Parent Resident Visa, in which most expressions of interest (EOIs) are picked in date order and the rest by ballot. We explained how the new queue works before the draw.
In a notice published on 11 November, INZ said it was "aware of a technical glitch that has affected the 10 November 2026 Parent Category draw" and apologised "for any stress and confusion this has caused". It did not say what went wrong.
What has INZ promised?
INZ's notice makes four points:
- The issue is being resolved, and INZ is working to complete the selection process "as quickly as possible".
- "No one will be disadvantaged and no queue positions will be affected."
- People in the queue with EOIs from late 2022 to early 2023 will be selected.
- Anyone who has already received an invitation to apply (ITA) is still invited to apply.
INZ says all successful applicants will be contacted within the next week.
I got an invitation to apply. Is it still valid?
Yes, according to INZ. If you received an ITA from this draw, you are still invited to apply.
An ITA for the Parent Resident Visa is valid for four months, and INZ has said before that it cannot extend that window. If you have one, it makes sense to start on the documents that take longest, such as police certificates, medical certificates and translations, rather than wait for the glitch to be fully sorted.
I haven't heard anything. Have I missed out?
Not necessarily. INZ says it has not finished the selection, and that successful applicants will hear within about a week of its 11 November notice.
INZ's selection-process page lists queue position dates of October 2022 to June 2023 for the November 2026 round. The 11 November notice describes the group it will select as EOIs "from late 2022 to early 2023". INZ says the queue dates on its page are indicative and that the table will be updated after each round.
If your EOI is newer than that, you were not expected to be reached through the queue this time. You could still have been picked in the ballot, which accounts for about 10 percent of selections. To be in the November ballot, an EOI had to be in the pool by 31 October.
How do I check?
INZ sends invitations to the email address given in the EOI. It also has a lookup tool on its "successful expressions of interest" page, where you can search using your EOI number.
While the glitch is being fixed, it is worth checking your spam folder, and making sure the email address on your EOI is one you still use.
What about the next draw?
Selections happen four times a year, in February, May, August and November, generally on the second Tuesday of the month. INZ's indicative table puts EOIs with queue dates from June 2023 to July 2023 in the February 2027 round, though INZ notes that those dates can change depending on how many EOIs are selected and how many visas are approved.
Under the new model, EOIs no longer expire after two years, as long as applicants confirm every two years that they want to stay in the pool and keep their details up to date. The annual cap remains 2,500 approvals in principle.
Only the way EOIs are picked has changed. INZ says the visa requirements themselves are the same, so sponsors and parents still have to meet the existing criteria.
