A surge in refugee claims over the last two years could be significantly lowering the chance for Indians to be able to secure a visit visa to New Zealand, say immigration experts.
In 2023-2024, the number of people seeking asylum in Aotearoa (2,345) was five times more than the yearly average since 2014-2015.
India topped this surge in asylum seekers last year, accounting for nearly half of the applications. The number of refugee applications from the south Asian giant shot up nearly 20 times the yearly average since 2015.
The aberration has caught immigration’s eye. In a cabinet note published September 2024, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford called out suspicious asylum seekers.
“The recent increase in asylum claims has been characterised by many individuals submitting immediately before, or just after the expiry of their existing visa and there is evidence of applicants being ‘coached’, based on the similarities between asylum claims.”
Immigration officials say the surge in refugee applications hasn’t impacted how they process general visa applications from India. But immigration advisers The Indian Weekender spoke to pointed out the sharp rise could well be driving a decline in visit visa approval rates, raising concerns about the unintended consequences of asylum trends on legitimate travellers.
Official statistics reveal a striking correlation between the surge in refugee applications from India and the drop in visit visa approval rates for Indian applicants.
Between 2014 and 2023, nearly nine in 10 visit visa applications from India were approved. Since then-about the same time refugee applications spiked-only about seven in 10 applicants have been able to secure a visit visa.
Immigration lawyer Alaistair McClymont says when more and more people from India make a refugee claim while in New Zealand on a visit visa, it prompts immigration officials to be more suspicious, even in the case of genuine applications.
“India then becomes a high risk country for visa applicants…and even more so when the applicant is from a region of India where a lot of refugee claims come from, such as Punjab,” he says.
“So when a New Zealand citizen of Indian descent wants to sponsor their family member for a visit to New Zealand, and that visa is declined for no real reason, then its highly likely that they are being declined because Immigration New Zealand are concerned that the applicant may make a refugee claim in New Zealand and become a significant strain on the resources that we have to process such claims.”
Pawandeep Singh of Auckland-based Kiwiana Immigration says he has been receiving queries about refugee applications like never before.
“As a Licensed Immigration Adviser practicing for the past seven years, I have only recently started receiving inquiries regarding Asylum Visas, with a noticeable increase since late 2023,” he points out.
“Over the past 18 months, we have been receiving two to three enquiries weekly from individuals on temporary visas seeking to remain in the country under refugee status.”
Vandana Rai, Director of Immigration Advisers New Zealand Limited, says it’s quite likely Immigration New Zealand has taken note of the spike in asylum seekers.
“Historically, such trends have prompted Immigration New Zealand to implement heightened scrutiny of applications from countries with a high volume of applicants, such as India.
“While these measures are intended to uphold the integrity of the immigration system, they may inadvertently impact legitimate travellers."
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