MIQ emergency applications widened to include people returning to dying relatives

December 4, 2020

It’s expected around 150 emergency rooms will be available every fortnight.

The range of circumstances under which people can apply for an emergency managed isolation spot upon returning to New Zealand has been widened, including for those returning to terminally ill relatives.

Megan Main, MBIE's deputy chief executive of MIQ, said today that those applying for an emergency allocation will be able to do so on several new grounds from today.

Previously, the emergency spots were limited to New Zealand citizens or resident-class visa holders who had an imminent threat to their life or serious risk to their health, which required urgent travel to Aotearoa.

"We have now adjusted the range of circumstances currently being considered for emergency allocations to include a broader range of circumstances," Main said.

"These decisions are not easy ones to make — we are sympathetic to the distressing situations people applying for an emergency allocation are in.

"We need, however, to balance each individual application with our critical work to ensure the safety of all New Zealanders and the limited available capacity in managed isolation facilities by sequencing beds as they become available."

There are now two separate "categories" for urgent MIQ applications, with category one applications prioritised over category two.

"There is no guarantee that a person who fits within these categories will receive an emergency allocation, as this will depend on the numbers of applicants and available places," Main said.

"The emergency allocation process is a last resort option and the threshold is extremely high.

"To be eligible for an emergency allocation, the travel must be time-critical, the applicant must be legally entitled to enter New Zealand and they must be willing to travel within seven days of making their application.

"Evidence will be required to support all applications to ensure a fair and consistent process and it is important to note that people still need to complete their 14 days managed isolation.

"We’re confident we can make around 150 rooms available per fortnight for those who need to travel urgently."

CATEGORY ONE APPLICATION GROUNDS

- New Zealand citizens or residents where a serious risk to health exists for the applicant or their dependent, which requires urgent travel to New Zealand.

- Where urgent travel is required to ensure a child is provided with appropriate care and protection.

CATEGORY TWO APPLICATION GROUNDS

- New Zealand citizens or residents who are required to provide critical care for a dependent person in New Zealand and need to travel urgently to do so.

- A person whose entry to New Zealand is time-critical for the purpose of delivering a critical public or health service, such as the provision of specialist health services required to prevent serious illness, injury or death; or the maintenance of essential infrastructure whose failure would result in significant harm or disruption to a large number of New Zealanders.

- New Zealand citizens or residents, who are unable to legally remain in their current location and have no other option but to return to New Zealand.

- New Zealand and non-New Zealand citizens, where urgent travel to New Zealand is required for national security, national interest or law enforcement reasons.

- New Zealand citizens or residents entering New Zealand to visit a close relative who is dying, where timely travel is unlikely to be possible if the person books through the managed isolation allocation system.

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