Email this page
Send this page to a friend.
This page is printer friendly.
BDM/DIA(C) Citizenship Application Processing Programme
Annual Report
Purpose: To verify a parent's citizenship status if required for the determination of an applicant's eligibility for New Zealand citizenship.
Year commenced: 2005
Features: Data is transferred on request via an online connection.
BDM disclosure to Citizenship (DIA): Possible matches from the Births, Deaths, and Marriages (relationships) databases are displayed to Citizenship staff as they process each application. These details include full name, gender, birth date, birthplace and parents' full names.
2010/11 activity:
| Applications for citizenship by descent (may include more than one person) | 9,397 |
| Notice of adverse action (arising from failure to match) | 9 |
| Successful challenges | 9 |
| Citizenship by descent registered | 8,814 |
An audit on the operation of this programme found there were effective controls in place and no significant issues were identified.
Commentary: Notices of adverse action are sent when Citizenship cannot satisfactorily match the information supplied to the appropriate birth, death, marriage, or relationship record. Almost all of these are resolved by contacting the applicant for clarification.
The difference between the number of applicants and the number registered is primarily due to the applicants not meeting eligibility criteria, rather than a failure to correctly match the record.
Compliance: Compliant.
| Information matching provision | Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act 1995, s.78A |
| Year authorised/commenced | 2001/2005 |
| Programme type | Confirming eligibility |
| On-line transfers | Yes |
System description
This programme enables DIA Citizenship Office staff to verify information when processing applications involving:
• citizenship by descent
• 1948 residence claims
• claims regarding British people married to New Zealanders prior to 1949 and
• denials, renunciations and deprivations of citizenship.
DIA Citizenship Office staff enter into the Determinations Confirmation System (DCS) searchable information that includes family name, given name, date of birth, country of birth and Citizenship Certificate Number. The DCS searches copies of information from the births, deaths, marriages, and citizenship registers held together in the Data Aggregation Layer (DAL) and displays possible matches, which are verified manually against the information provided on the citizenship application form. If more than one individual's record matches the selection criteria, the user can enter more selection criteria to narrow down the search results. If a clear match is not found, the applicant will be contacted for further identifying information and the application held pending their response.
Every search conducted using the DCS creates an auditable ‘footprint' that provides protections against inappropriate browsing of personal information and could also be used in any investigation into a suspect grant of citizenship.
Historical activity
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | |
| Citizenships by descent registered | 8,040 | 7,936 | 8,373 |