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Five visa-system slips in New Zealand, and the habits that could protect you as a Ugandan applicant

Visa guide · 2026-09-30 · 4 min read

When a visa platform makes mistakes, applicants are the ones who must live with the consequences. New Zealand's online system has had several, and each one points to a simple habit. If you are applying from Kampala or Entebbe, or sponsoring someone as an employer, the pairing below is worth remembering.

Slip one: approvals with no manual assessment

Immigration New Zealand's online platform, ADEPT, has been live since 2022. Because of a technical fault, one automated process could repeat on a single application. That created duplicated actions and let the file jump past the officer who should have judged it. Officials counted 32 visitor visas approved this way across roughly three years, along with 23 Job Check applications in 2022, the step in which an accredited employer proves it tried to hire a New Zealander first. Of the visa holders, twenty had already travelled without any adverse outcome on record. Six files went back for a full assessment because of risk factors, and one was recommended for decline.

Habit: never treat a fast approval as proof of careful review. Keep every document ready in case of later contact.

Slip two: a missing health question

In 2025, 364 applicants for multiple entry visitor visas for parents and grandparents were not asked a tuberculosis-related residency question, and 295 of them were granted visas. Officials said individual risk was relatively low and that affected applicants would be contacted.

Habit: answer every health and character question fully, even when the system does not prompt you.

Slip three: employers losing sight of workers

Around 2,300 businesses with lapsed and renewed accreditation lost sight of their migrant workers in the system. That affected their ability to resend job tokens or report a worker leaving.

Habit: employers should check their dashboard against their own staff and job token records, particularly after accreditation has lapsed and been renewed.

Slip four: drafts that would not submit

After an update in August 2026, some visitor visa applicants could not submit drafts once a second person was added. A permanent fix followed within days, but nobody knows how many people were affected.

Habit: save a copy of each page and confirmation you submit, and check your application status regularly rather than assuming silence means all is well.

Slip five: a broken promise about people

The Government had promised that automation would assist approvals while any refusal stayed with a person. The law permits automated decisions, yet the agency had apparently not started and said in 2025 that it was around two years from having the data and testing needed. These approvals were never part of a plan. A $336 million programme was also sent back for a new business case after projected savings were overstated by $134 million, with a report wanted before April 2027. These details came out on 30 September 2026.

Habit: respond quickly to any request for more information, and get advice from a licensed immigration adviser, or a person lawfully exempt from licensing, if anything looks unusual.

The calm reading

Nothing here suggests that genuine applications are at risk. The worry is consistency and oversight, not people being wrongly refused. Your best protection is an honest, well-documented file: contracts, a UNEB certificate or degree where relevant, employer letters, medical results and a clear CV. Build AI CV can help you keep the CV side in order. Further reading includes why getting the visa is the easy part and the two new doors in the Skilled Migrant Category. Browse the jobs page too.

Common mistakes behind the habits

• Assuming the platform is always right.
• Throwing away confirmations after submitting.
• Employers trusting the dashboard without checking against their own list.
• Asking an unlicensed middleman to fix an error.

Frequently asked questions

Does this affect Ugandan applicants specifically?

The reporting concerned the system in general, not any nationality.

Could an approved visa be revisited?

Errors found later can lead to follow-up contact.

What is the safest approach?

An honest, complete and well-documented application, whichever country you apply to.

Is more automation coming?

Automated decision-making is allowed, but the agency had said it was around two years from being ready.

Key takeaways

• A fault skipped manual assessment for 32 visitor visas and 23 Job Check applications.
• Other faults affected health questions, employer dashboards and draft submissions.
• Save copies, answer fully and respond quickly.
• Take licensed advice if something looks wrong.

#visa system #new zealand #application habits #adept #employers