A PPI letter tells the applicant that Immigration New Zealand holds potentially prejudicial information and gives them a chance to comment before a decision. The letter names the concern and sets a response date. The response file answers the concern directly, with documents, and nothing else. Read the date first, request the client's file under the Privacy Act on day one if the response needs it, and ask for an extension before the deadline rather than after. Immigration New Zealand's own guidance treats up to five extra working days as reasonable in most cases.
What the letter is
Fairness requires Immigration New Zealand to put adverse information to an applicant before relying on it. The PPI letter does that. It says what the information is, where it came from in general terms, and what the officer might conclude from it. It then gives a date by which the applicant can respond. A decline that follows a response the applicant was never given a fair chance to make is open to challenge; a decline that follows a weak response is not.
Read the letter twice before anything else
- The response date. Write it at the top of the file note. Everything else is planned backwards from it.
- The concern, in one sentence. The couple do not live together. The employer is not genuine. A conviction was not declared. The response answers that sentence.
- The evidence the officer relies on. A bank statement showing a different address. A tax record that does not match a payslip. The response explains that evidence or produces something that outweighs it.
- The client's current visa expiry. If it falls before the response date, that is a separate problem to deal with this week.
Ask for the file early
Under the Privacy Act 2020 the client can ask Immigration New Zealand for the information it holds about them, including the officer's notes, and the agency has up to 20 working days to provide it. That is longer than many response windows. Lodge the request on the day you are instructed if the response depends on knowing what the officer has seen, and say in the extension request that you have done so.
Extensions
Immigration New Zealand's Visa Pak 604 of November 2024 tells officers to start from standard timeframes and to judge an extension request on its merits and the reason the deadline cannot be met. Up to five additional working days is generally considered reasonable in most circumstances; a longer extension can be granted case by case for compelling and relevant reasons, and officers expect evidence of the steps already taken to gather the information.
So the request should be specific: what is outstanding, who has been asked for it, when it is expected, and the date you are asking for. Send it before the response date, and keep the acknowledgement.
What answers a concern about a relationship
Partner visa PPI letters often come down to one question: do these two people live together in a genuine and stable relationship. The answer is documents that put both names at one address across the period, and a plain explanation of anything that suggests otherwise.
- A joint tenancy agreement or a letter from the landlord naming both tenants.
- Utility and internet bills, and anything from a bank or a government agency, addressed to each of them at the same address.
- A letter from the bank saying when the address on the account was last updated, if an old address on a statement is the problem.
- Photos and messages across the whole period, dated, not just the start.
- Statements from people who know the couple, with their contact details.
Take the fictional matter on the Sidqo demo dashboard: a partner visa applicant whose bank statements show the address of her previous flat. The response is not a longer love story. It is the tenancy agreement in both names, the bank's letter about the address, and the joint bills, with a one-paragraph explanation of why the statements lagged behind the move.
Building the response
- A covering letter that restates the concern in the officer's words, answers it, and lists the enclosures.
- Numbered enclosures, each with a one-line description of what it shows.
- Translations of anything not in English, with the originals attached.
- The authority form, so Immigration New Zealand will deal with the firm.
- A copy for the client, in a language they read.
At intake
The first conversation should capture the response date, the concern and the visa expiry, and should end with a list of documents by name. The client intake checklist has the immigration list. A client who comes to the firm through a Sidqo link uploads the letter and the relationship evidence before the lawyer opens the file, and the summary, in English, already names the response date.
Questions
How long does an applicant have to respond to a PPI letter?
The date is in the letter and varies by visa category and circumstances. Treat it as fixed, and ask for an extension before it passes if you need one.
How long an extension will Immigration New Zealand give?
Its November 2024 guidance treats up to five additional working days as reasonable in most cases. Longer extensions are considered case by case for compelling reasons, with evidence of the steps taken so far.
Can the client see what Immigration New Zealand holds about them?
Yes, through a Privacy Act request, which the agency has up to 20 working days to answer. Lodge it at the start if the response depends on it.
Sidqo provides legal information, not legal representation. This guide describes the general position in New Zealand for lawyers; it is not advice on any client's matter. Check the current legislation before relying on a date or a figure.