Response letter DOIA REQ 0030408 Ross Munro.pdf

23 April 2026

Ref: DOIA-REQ-0030408-Ross Munro

Ross Munro
Email: [FYI request #34314 email]

Tēnā koe Ross,

Thank you for your letter of 31 March 2026 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) requesting, under the Oﬃcial Information Act 1982 (the Act), the fol owing information:

In August 2024 I received the fol owing justiﬁcation from the Minister of Immigration regarding
the proposed doubling of the fee for Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa applications:

"Please note that the immigration system operates on a cost-recovery basis. The new visa charges
reﬂect the current and real costs associated with direct and broader costs of the immigration
system associated with assessing and managing more high-risk applications and increased
compliance costs while managing a signiﬁcant surge in asylum claims, and maintaining
Immigration NZ’s ICT systems."

The fee subsequently increased from $2,750 to $5,360, an increase of 95%, on 1st October, 2024.

Can you please provide itemised details of the ". .current and real costs associated with direct and
broader costs of the immigration system associated with assessing and managing more high-risk
applications and increased compliance costs while managing a signiﬁcant surge in asylum claims,
and maintaining Immigration NZ’s ICT systems."

Please see MBIE’s response to your request below.

Overview of the visa charge
The total charge for the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa is $5,360. This charge is made up of two
components, which are combined at the point of application:
• Visa application fee: $1,940
• Immigration Levy: $3,420
These rates were set fol owing the 2024 Immigration Fee and Levy Review.
Reasons for the increase
The increase in charges reﬂects both updated cost information and a Cabinet decision to shift the
immigration system from a Crown subsidised model to a cost to serve model.

link to page 2
As set out in paragraph 48 of the Cost Recovery Impact Statement (CRIS), the proportion of Crown funding
for the immigration system reduced from approximately 22 per cent to 9 per cent, with a greater share of
costs recovered from the people who beneﬁt from the system.1
How visa application fees are calculated
Application fees are informed by MBIE’s Cost to Serve (CTS) model. This model al ocates the direct and
indirect costs of visa processing across individual visa products and calculates an average cost per
application based on forecast volumes.
For the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa, direct costs recovered through the fee include:
•  Immigration oﬃcer time required to assess applications, based on average assessment times and
forecast visa application volumes.
•  Supporting assessment activities, including character and identity checks, relationship
genuineness assessments, and evidence veriﬁcation.
•  Proportional costs of supporting roles, such as risk assessment and veriﬁcation staﬀ, al ocated
using ﬁxed ratios to frontline processing roles.
Indirect processing costs are also recovered through the fee and are al ocated based on forecast volumes
for each visa products. These include:
•  ICT systems that support visa processing, such as online application platforms, case management
systems, data storage, and cyber security.
•  Contact centre services.
•  Property, corporate services, and management overheads that enable immigration processing
functions.
Residence class visas general y have higher processing costs than temporary visas due to the greater
complexity and assessment requirements involved.
Costs covered by the Immigration Levy
In addition to the application fee, applicants pay an Immigration Levy, which funds wider immigration
system costs that cannot be directly attributed to the processing of individual applications. Levy-funded
activities include:
•  Maintaining and upgrading immigration ICT infrastructure;
•  Managing immigration risk at a system-wide level, including compliance and investigations
activity;
•  Settlement support services; and
•  English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programmes in schools.
Further information can be found in the fol owing documents:
•   2324-1491 Immigration fee and levy review proposed rates and draft Cabinet paper,
and
•  Stage 2 Cost Recovery Impact Statement: 2024 Immigration Fee and Levy Review

1 Stage 2 Cost Recovery Impact Statement: 2024 Immigration Fee and Levy Review

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact [email address].

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.

Nāku noa, nā

Stacey O’Dowd
Manager, Immigration (Border and Funding) Policy
Labour, Science and Enterprise, MBIE