The PPI process at a glance
- INZ holds adverse informationFrom your file, a check or a third party
Factual information or material that will or may adversely affect the outcome of your application.
- The PPI letterBefore a decision is made
It should identify which instruction the officer considers has not been met, how, and what the outcome may be, and it states your deadline.
- Your responseBy the deadline in the letter
Deal with every concern, one by one, with evidence. Ask early and in writing if you need an extension.
- The decisionOn everything before the officer
A complete, evidenced response can change the outcome. An unanswered concern becomes a finding.
- INZ holds adverse information
- The PPI letterNo response within the timeAssessed on the information INZ already holds
- Your response
- The decision
What a PPI letter is and when INZ must send one
PPI stands for potentially prejudicial information: factual information or material that will or may adversely affect the outcome of your application. The principle behind the letter is natural justice. INZ's own manual says every officer must give the applicant a fair hearing and avoid bias, and that fairness depends on whether you are informed of information that might harm your case and given a reasonable opportunity to respond.
| Application | Instruction | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | R5.20.5 | Prejudicial information you are not necessarily aware of |
| Temporary visas | E7.15 | Broader still |
INZ's guidance to its officers says a PPI letter should identify:
- Which immigration instruction the officer considers has not been met
- How it has not been met
- What the outcome may be
The relevant instruction should be supplied with the letter. If a letter you received does not do all of that, the gap itself is worth raising in your response.
The deadline and how to respond
There is no single official response timeframe. INZ's internal guidance requires the deadline to be reasonable and appropriate to your circumstances, and a pending request for your file does not normally pause the clock by itself.
- Common deadline in practice
- 1 to 2 weeks
- Extension generally treated as reasonable
- Up to 5 working days
In practice deadlines are commonly around one to two weeks, and extensions of up to five additional working days are generally treated as reasonable when requested with cause. Ask for an extension early and in writing if you need one.
A strong response deals with every concern in the letter, one by one, with evidence, not just assertions.
| If the information INZ holds is | Your response |
|---|---|
| Wrong | Prove the correct position with documents |
| Right but incomplete | Supply the context |
| Right and damaging | Address it honestly and explain the circumstances rather than ignoring it |
This is precise, deadline-bound advocacy, exactly where a licensed immigration adviser or immigration lawyer with tribunal experience earns their fee, because the PPI response is also the record any later appeal is built on.
Getting your INZ file
You have the right to the personal information INZ holds about you. INZ's requesting-personal-information process uses its request form, and the Privacy Act 2020 sets the time for a response:
“If an agency receives an IPP 6 request and section 43 does not apply, the agency must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received, respond to the request.”
Your file shows what the officer is looking at, and is often the difference between guessing at INZ's concern and answering it:
- Previous applications
- Notes
- Third-party information
For information that is not personal to you, the Official Information Act is the parallel route.
Third-party checks - what INZ verifies behind the scenes
Immigration officers carry a general obligation to take the steps necessary to verify documentation and information, and much of that happens without you seeing it. "Third party check", a phrase that appears on many INZ files, has an official meaning MBIE confirmed under the Official Information Act in 2024:
| Check | Referred to |
|---|---|
| National security checks | The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service |
| Police certificate checks | New Zealand Police |
INZ staff also use the term more loosely for verifying documents such as qualifications and work experience.
INZ's public guidance adds that it checks information with other organisations and countries, including its Migration Five border partners, to confirm identity, background and character; in practice verification can also mean contacting employers, partners or referees.
A third-party check sitting on your file for a long time is common: security check timeframes vary and are not published.
And whatever a check turns up, the fairness instructions close the loop: prejudicial information obtained from a third party must be put to you for comment before INZ relies on it. That is the PPI letter this guide covers, which is why an unexpected letter about your employer, your relationship or a document you supplied is the system working as designed, and your opportunity to answer it.
Interviews, deportation letters and not responding
INZ can also test concerns by interview.
- You are entitled to an interpreter if you are not fluent in English
- An immigration lawyer, licensed immigration adviser or family representative may attend with you
If you do not respond to a request for information or an interview within the specified time, a temporary application will be assessed on the information INZ already holds, and a residence application may be.
One related letter deserves its own mention: residents suspected of having become liable for deportation, for example over information in their residence application, typically receive a letter from INZ's resolutions team inviting comment, often with a Deportation Liability Questionnaire (form INZ 1242). Practitioners sometimes call this a letter of concern, though that is shorthand rather than INZ's term. It is the last step before a deportation liability notice, and the deportation guide covers what follows.
As with PPI letters: respond fully, on time, with evidence.
Check your understanding
These questions check what this guide says. They say nothing about your own case.
For educational and illustrative purposes only. This is not immigration advice, and no warranty is given as to its appropriateness or accuracy. If in doubt, talk to an immigration adviser or an immigration lawyer about your specific circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- INZ operational manual A1 (fairness and natural justice)
- INZ operational manual E7.15 (PPI, temporary entry)
- INZ operational manual R5.20.5 (PPI, residence)
- INZ operational manual E7.10 (failure to respond)
- INZ Visa Pak 201 (PPI letters and file requests)
- INZ: requesting personal information
- Privacy Act 2020, s 44 (response within 20 working days)
- INZ form 1242: Deportation Liability Questionnaire
- INZ: third party checks for visa applicants
More on inz process and fairness
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