Earlier this year, the immigration minister dismissed concerns the Migration 5 operation is "a very significant intelligence gathering and data sharing operation" developed "under a cloak of secrecy". Photo: RNZ
Migration 5 partners are in discussions over what information about criminals they might exchange, including whether their own citizens' data could be shared.
The Migration 5 (M5) countries - New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US and Britain - mirror membership of the Five Eyes intelligence group, and work together on border policies, data-sharing and technology.
They have met four times since March to discuss the Criminal Database Checking group's (CDC) work.
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Associate Deputy Secretary of Immigration Catriona Robinson said the scope of what information is to be exchanged was still to be decided.
She said there had been no formal briefing to Minister of Immigration Erica Stanford on the group's progress.
M5 currently shares details of migrants' travel records and visas, but not their own citizens' data.
A document released under the Official Information Act showed its first face-to-face meeting was held this year, in Wellington.
"The purpose of the CDC meeting was to discuss a proposal that M5 countries be able to query the domestic criminal databases of their partners for visa applications, and for other immigration purposes such as refugee status claims," said Immigration, Risk and Border acting general manager Joanne Hacking.
"The proposal was tasked by the Five Countries Ministerial to the M5 to explore."
The Five Countries Ministerial is made up of security, home affairs and immigration ministers from the Five Eyes countries.
New Zealand took over the chairmanship of M5 last month.