29 March 2021
M P Ross
By email:
[FYI request #14670 email]
File No: DOIA 2021-1508
Dear M P Ross
Thank you for your email of 13 February 2021, requesting the fol owing information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
1) How many foreign citizens in the last 6 months have been granted a 6 month visitor visa
and have now entered New Zealand as of 13/02/2021?
2) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month visitor visa issued before the 8th August 2020 are
stil in the country as of 13/02/2021?
3) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month visitor visa issued between 08/08/20 and
13/02/21 have now left New Zealand?
We emailed you on 1 March 2021 to confirm our interpretation of your request as follows:
1) How many foreign citizens in the last 6 months have been granted a 6 month Critical
Purpose visitor visa or 6 month Critical Purpose Variation of Conditions and have now
entered New Zealand as of 13/02/2021?
2) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month Critical Purpose visitor visa or 6 month Critical
Purpose Variation of Conditions issued before the 8th August 2020 are stil in the country as
of 13/02/2021?
3) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month Critical Purpose visitor visa or 6 month Critical
Purpose Variation of Conditions issued between 08/08/20 and 13/02/21 have now left New
Zealand?
Our response
We did not receive a response to our email dated 1 March 2021 so we proceeded with our
interpretation of the request.
1) How many foreign citizens in the last 6 months have been granted a 6 month Critical Purpose
visitor visa or 6 month Critical Purpose Variation of Conditions and have now entered New Zealand as
of 13/02/2021?
There were 2,439 non-New Zealand citizens granted a 6 month Critical Purpose Visitor visa or a 6
month Critical Purpose Variation of Conditions between 13 September 2020 and 13 February 2021
(inclusive) and had entered New Zealand by 13 February 2021 (inclusive).
All individuals who are deemed to have a Critical Purpose in New Zealand are invited to apply for a
Critical Purpose Visitor or Variation of Conditions visa (depending on whether a valid visa is already
held). Critical Purpose Visitor visas are not only for critical workers. For a list of critical purpose reasons
to travel to New Zealand, please refer to the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website here:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/border-closures-and-exceptions/critical-
purpose-reasons-you-can-travel-to-new-zealand.
2) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month Critical Purpose visitor visa or 6 month Critical Purpose
Variation of Conditions issued before the 8th August 2020 are stil in the country as of 13/02/2021?
There were 651 non-New Zealand citizens granted a 6 month Critical Purpose Visitor visa or a 6 month
Critical Purpose Variation of Conditions before 8 August 2020 (exclusive) and were still in New Zealand
as of 13 February 2021.
3) How many foreign citizens on a 6 month Critical Purpose visitor visa or 6 month Critical Purpose
Variation of Conditions issued between 08/08/20 and 13/02/21 have now left New Zealand?
There were 801 non-New Zealand citizens granted a 6 month Critical Purpose Visitor visa or a 6 month
Critical Purpose Variation of Conditions between 8 August 2020 and 13 February 2021 (inclusive) who
had left New Zealand as at 13 February 2021.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Anna McLachlan,
Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand
at [email address]. Yours sincerely
Nicola Hogg
General Manager
Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
