Applications are also required by regulation to include fees, passport photos, and travel documents. Receiving and processing such applications is not practical when Immigration New Zealand staff are working from their homes. In particular, they cannot meet banking requirements for handling payments. Waiving requirements on an individual basis is not practical, while individually processing thousands of applications at once is time-consuming and expensive and provides little certainty for affected applicants at a time where we need Government services to be able to be flexible and efficient. This bill therefore amends the Immigration Act 2009 to provide powers to enable the Government to respond appropriately and efficiently to the COVID-19 epidemic by providing additional flexibility in the immigration system. These powers will expire 12 months after enactment. 