Immigration New Zealand Reports 19,153 Visa Overstayers

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) released its estimate for 2026, indicating that around 19,153 individuals overstayed their visas in New Zealand as of July 1, 2026. This estimate is based on 30 years of immigration and border movement data since the introduction of electronic records.

The top ten nationalities of overstayers include China (2,694), Tonga (2,541), the United States (1,981), India (1,522), Samoa (1,462), Great Britain (1,117), Philippines (898), Malaysia (574), Vietnam (538), and Fiji (512). The total number of overstayers also includes an additional 5,314 individuals from other nationalities.

The 2026 figure represents an 8.7% decrease from the 2025 estimate of 20,979, attributed to improvements in the methodology used by INZ. Specifically, the agency excluded Exemption NZeTA holders and Air Crew NZeTA holders from the count, aligning the estimate with existing exclusion rules and enhancing accuracy.