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New Zealand visa software faults: what is known, what is not, and what Zimbabwean applicants should do

Visa guide · 2026-09-30 · 4 min read

When a government visa platform misbehaves, rumours multiply. This article separates what is known about the faults in New Zealand's system from what is not, so that applicants in Harare, Bulawayo and elsewhere in Zimbabwe can respond calmly and sensibly.

What is known

• The platform involved is ADEPT, which Immigration New Zealand has used since 2022 to process visas online.
• A technical glitch could repeat one automated process on the same application, duplicating steps and bypassing the officer who should have assessed the file.
• Checking afterwards turned up 32 visitor visas granted without that assessment across roughly three years, plus 23 Job Check applications in 2022. In a Job Check, an accredited employer shows it tried to hire a New Zealander first.
• Of the visitor visa holders, twenty had already travelled with no adverse outcome noted. Six files were reopened because of risk factors and one was recommended for decline.
• In 2025 a tuberculosis-related residency question was left out for 364 parent and grandparent applicants seeking multiple entry visitor visas. Of them 295 were granted visas. Officials called the individual risk relatively low and said they would contact those affected.
• About 2,300 businesses whose accreditation had lapsed and then been renewed lost sight of their migrant workers, which hindered resending job tokens and reporting that a worker had left.
• An update in August 2026 stopped some visitor visa applicants from submitting a draft after adding another person. It was repaired within days.

The briefings behind these findings became public on 30 September 2026.

What is not known

• How many people the draft fault caught.
• When automated decisions might be used widely. The agency had reportedly not used them, and in 2025 it said it was about two years from having the data and testing required.
• What a $336 million programme will look like after being returned for a new business case, because its projected savings were overstated by $134 million. A report is wanted before April 2027.

Ministers had said automation would speed approvals while any refusal stayed with staff. The approvals described here were an accident, never a plan.

Where that leaves an applicant

Nothing suggests genuine applications are at risk. The concern is oversight. A quick approval does not prove a careful review, so keep your documents ready in case of later contact. If you are an employer or sponsor, compare your dashboard with your own records, especially if accreditation lapsed and was renewed.

It also helps to keep perspective. Software faults happen in every large system, and the useful response is practical: keep good records, tell the truth in full and ask for help early. Rumours that a particular nationality was targeted, or that an approved visa will be cancelled, are not supported by anything in the findings above.

Five habits for any online visa application

1. Save a copy of every page and confirmation you submit.
2. Answer every health and character question fully, even when the system does not prompt you.
3. Respond quickly to requests for more information.
4. Check your application status regularly.
5. Get advice from a licensed immigration adviser, or a person lawfully exempt from licensing, if anything looks unusual.

A tidy CV and work history reduce the chance of mismatches; Build AI CV can help. Related reading on this site includes the Skilled Migrant Category's two new doors and what the immigration overhaul means for you, and the jobs page lists current roles.

Common mistakes after reading the findings

• Treating a rumour about the faults as fact.
• Skipping documents such as medical results or ZIMSEC and degree certificates because the form did not ask for them.
• Failing to keep your own copies.
• Paying an unlicensed helper.

Frequently asked questions

Was my visa among those approved without a check?

The review covered specific visitor visas and Job Check applications. If you are unsure, seek advice from a licensed immigration adviser.

Are Zimbabwean applicants singled out?

Nothing in the reporting suggests so.

Should employers worry?

They should check their dashboards against their own records.

Is this article immigration advice?

No. It is general information, and rules change, so check official pages.

Key takeaways

• Software faults led to approvals without manual assessment, found in a sweep of files.
• Several other faults came to light, and some numbers remain unknown.
• Keep records, answer fully and respond quickly.
• Take licensed advice for anything unusual.

#visa software #new zealand #applicants #faults #zimbabwe