Summarised by Centrist
Asylum claims in New Zealand increased by nearly 400% last year, prompting Immigration Minister Erica Stanford to seek stricter regulations.
Over 2,000 people claimed asylum in New Zealand in 2023, severely increasing the pressure on Immigration New Zealand’s processing capabilities.
Many applicants are believed to be exploiting the open work visa available to asylum seekers as a gateway to the job market.
Stanford acknowledged the challenge of addressing spurious claims without compromising the nation’s obligations to genuine asylum seekers, stating that any measures must be “proportional to the scale of the situation.”
Despite the surge in asylum claims, these account for just over 1% of New Zealand’s total migration gain, yet they have contributed to a growing backlog in visa processing. To address the issue, Stanford has committed an additional $10m to bolster Immigration NZ’s resources. Stanford also introduced more stringent visa application requirements from certain countries.
“We need to ensure good management of applications… so that the contributions to our tourism, education, and labour markets from genuine applicants are not undermined,” Stanford emphasised.
