MEDIA RELEASE
23 January 2001

Rosemarie Thomas
Immigration Spokesperson

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE NEW ZEALAND QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY?

Christian Heritage Immigration spokesperson, Rosemarie Thomas expressed concern about the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s delays in processing Interim Assessment Reports required by the New Zealand Immigration Service.

Rosemarie Thomas said that the Christian Heritage Party wanted an urgent investigation into the Authority’s lack of ability to handle the overseas assessments of qualifications for the New Zealand Immigration Service.

“A few months ago the New Zealand Qualifications Authority was guaranteeing to complete Interim Assessment Reports assessments within four weeks. Now it is back to its old time frames, taking months. Maybe the government needs to find out urgently what is going on.

The Christian Heritage Party understands that these assessments of overseas qualifications should be self-funding from the fees paid – we trust the fees are not being gobbled up in the bottomless pit – the consolidated fund! If the fees do not cover the cost of the work the fees should rise to reflect the true value of the work undertaken.

“Is the current backlog problem due to a lack of staff or was there a flood of applications, which could have been anticipated, given the history of previous assessments received?” Rosemarie Thomas asked.

For all concerned clarification of those issues is required very quickly,” she concluded.

Contact: Rosemarie Thomas has worked as an Immigration consultant, in her own business, since 1991. She can be contact on either (04) 939 8466 or (025) 846 627.
Party Leader Graham Capill (021) 661 766

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