04 Apr INZ’s Online Application System
The year 2025 is a new milestone for the history of INZ as it has finally achieved a fully automated residence application processing system called IM-R-FA60 (hereafter ‘Rfa60’) – a self-regulated Artificial Intelligence system.
What thrills the senior INZ officials is Rfa60’s self-learning ability that enhances its decision-making ability in a short span of time. The artificial neural system connected to the Internet-based intelligence network allows self-learning by extensive data training, which has already extended its capacity from 17 to 400 applications per day.
More than 20 immigration officers in the Auckland region have been recently made redundant as a direct result.
Saddle Lee is a South Korean professional Go player, who is married to a New Zealand citizen. He has applied for residency under the Partnership category.
Based on the ‘Monte Carlo tree search’ mechanism, Rfa60 assessed whether Mr. Lee’s partnership is genuine and stable. Rfa60 took 38 seconds to come up with a prediction that there is a 42.8 percent chance of the partnership being genuine and stable. Because the official prediction failed to reach 50% with ±5% standard deviation, Rfa60 generates a PPI letter that requires a psychiatric report both from him and his wife. The reports are also to be prepared by an AI based robot psychiatrist.
Albeit fictitious, it is not a story to be easily disdained as INZ has already taken its first step forward with the online application system, which is a quasi-prototype to ultimate automation of the entire application process. Initially available only for the student visa applications, the online application system has opened the door for a variety of other temporary visa categories. At present, all temporary visa applications can be lodged online except for the family-based applications and less common categories i.e. country specific, foreign crew, primary sector and humanitarian applications.
The online process is cheaper, quicker and easier. Discounted rates are currently offered to applicants submitting their applications online. It takes less than 10 minutes to submit an application online. No actual passport or documents are required as the necessary documents are uploaded online and the successful applicants will be issued an e-Visa.
Gone are the days when overseas-based applicants needed to send a pile of paper-based applications to Visa Application Centres (VAC) based overseas. Extra costs for VAC processing were the added disadvantages which are no longer required.
We stay abreast of what’s coming around at the corner in the interest of our clients. In 2025, we should be able to advise Mr Saddle Lee of what to look out for the ‘Monte Carlo tree search’.
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