New Zealand government is initiating new tougher deportation rules and crackdown on immigration breaches as the visa overstayer numbers reach nearly 21,000.
The latest estimate released today by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), show that as of 1 July 2025, there were around 20,980 people in New Zealand who had overstayed their visa. The numbers have gone up from 14,000 in 2017 to estimated 21,000 today.
The top 10 overstayers are people from Tonga (2,599), China (2,577), United States of America (2,213), Samoa (1,697), India (1,582) , Great Britain (1,256), Philippines (938), Malaysia (753), Canada (510) and Germany (498). Nationals from other countries total 6,356.
The top 10 nationalities of people who had overstayed their visas as at 1 July 2025 account for 69.7% of the total estimate.
This is the first estimate produced using INZ’s newly adopted methodology, which has significantly enhanced the accuracy of the estimate since the previous one was carried out in 2017.
The changes to immigration rules – to be soon introduced to Parliament, will address gaps in New Zealand’s compliance framework, according to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford.
“Where migrants don’t follow the conditions of their visa, I’ve made it clear to Immigration NZ compliance and enforcement actions are a priority,” says Stanford.
“We know most people comply with their visa conditions and New Zealand laws while they are here.
“For those who do not, it’s important we have the right tools in place. We are proposing changes to the Immigration Act to ensure the immigration system is more robust and responsive so it can act more decisively when serious breaches occur,” said Stanford.
Among the proposed legislation changes will include an expansion of deportation liability to up to 20 years to cover those with residence class visas who commit serious criminal offences.
Deportation rules will also be tightened and providing false or misleading information can lead to trigger deportation liability. Additionally, historic crimes – including those committed before arriving in New Zealand, can also lead to deportation liability.
People granted a visa by mistake may also be liable for deportation, and in cases where a physical address is unavailable, deportation liability notices will be able to be issued electronically.
Immigration officers will have more capacity to request identity-based information where they have reason to suspect a breach of visa conditions or potential deportation liability
Penalties for migrant exploitation will also be toughened, and the maximum penalty will increase to 10 years imprisonment from the current seven years.
“Migrant exploitation is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This change recognises the seriousness of this crime and builds on a suite of changes made by this Government to reduce the opportunity for exploitation and stamp it out when it occurs,” Stanford said.
Immigration NZ compliance manager Steve Watson said that with about a million visa applications and 1.6 million electronic travel authority requests each year, the number of people overstaying their visa was “a very small proportion of temporary migrants”.
Meanwhile, Green Party is calling for a clear pathway for overstayers to become residents and for the government to bring in an amnesty programme.
Green Party immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said the government should be ensuring migrants were treated with dignity and respect.
