5 December 2023
Gunjan
[FYI request #24677 email]
File No: DOIA 2324-1025
Dear Gunjan,
I refer to your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) received on 7 November
2023 requesting the following information from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (Ministry):
“Please requested as below PDF copies of guidelines issued-
1. Guidelines have been developed for Medical Assessors to use when assessing some of
these health conditions including: • Cardiovascular diseases • Cochlear implants • Diabetes •
Haemophilia • Hepatitis B • Hepatitis C • HIV • Non Tuberculous Mycobacterium • Renal
failure and dialysis treatment • Syphilis, and • TB.
2. There are also guidelines to help with assessing: • an applicant who may have special
education needs • an applicant who may need full-time care • urinalysis results • blood test
results, and • chest X-rays.
3. Please provide proforma for FIR 10.0
4. Standard operating procedures for Parent resident visa category a complete procedure
flow chart and document verification checks from lodgement to final outcome.”.
Our Response
In regard to question one, in 2022, the Immigration Health Team began drafting guidelines for
Immigration New Zealand’s Medical Assessors to replace guidelines that had been in place since
2017 and 2018. The Immigration Health Team is still drafting a number of the specific documents
you have requested. Therefore, the guidelines being provided to you are a mix of the new guidelines
which have been completed, and guidelines dated 2017 and 2018 which will be replaced by the
guidelines currently being drafted. These documents are enclosed as
Appendix one. With regards to question two, the guidelines regarding full-time care needs and chest x-rays which
are still being drafted, are being released to you as extracts from a document called Management of
Common Medical Conditions (version 2, December 2018). This document is no longer in circulation
amongst the Medical Assessors and has been replaced by the
Immigration New Zealand Guidelines
for Medical Assessors (INZ 1378). These new guidelines and all the supplementary guidelines which
you have requested, are the replacement guidelines for any previous advice issued to the Medical
Assessors. These guidelines are enclosed in
Appendix one.
Please note that the documents being released which pre-date 2022 are more than five years old
and do not necessarily reflect medical advancements, current costs of medication, or changes to
immigration instructions that have been made in the interim. For example, the increase in the
financial threshold from $41,000 to $81,000, which determines whether an applicant's medical
condition is likely to impose significant costs on New Zealand’s health services, may not be reflected
in these documents.
You have asked that the Proforma FIR 10.0 be provided. The Further Information Required (V11.0, 6
July 2023) document used by the Health Assessment Team is provided as requested. This is
enclosed in
Appendix one.
In response to your request for the operating procedures for the Parent resident visa category a
complete procedure flow chart and document verification checks from lodgement to final outcome
standard operating procedures, this document is enclosed as
Appendix two. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Richard Owen
General Manager – Immigration Risk and Border
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
