Applications for temporary and residence class visa categories received by authorities in New Zealand were five times more from Israeli nationals than those received for the same purposes by Palestinian nationals, according to Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
In addition, the same source revealed that visas approved to Israelis are seven times higher than those approved by Palestinians, VisaGuide.World reports.
INZ revealed that since October 7, it received a total of 145 requests across both temporary and residence class visa categories for nationals from Israel; of them, 64 have been approved, and 75 applications are undergoing assessment.
In contrast, there have been 27 applications from nationals from Pakistan for temporary and residence visas; of them, nine have been approved, and 13 applications are under assessment, according to Te Ao Maori News.
Immigration New Zealand noted that requests are from both onshore and offshore applicants. Minister of Immigration Erica Stanford said that it is still unknown if applicants were coming out of Gaza.
However, acting Chief Operating Officer of Immigration, Simon Sanders, said that New Zealand is “distressed by the crisis and loss of human life in the Israel-Gaza conflict.”
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, INZ has implemented procedures to ensure consistent and prioritised processing of requests from those residing in these areas.
Sanders has stressed that they have been providing case-by-case advice and support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for citizens of New Zealand, as well as permanent residents to leave Gaza.
In addition, MFAT has assisted 20 New Zealand citizens to leave Gaza.
Securing approvals for individuals to exit Gaza is a complex process, requiring approval from both Israel and Egypt and providing assurances to the Egyptian government that those we support will leave Egypt within 72 hours.
As for the possibility of considering giving visas to Palestinians like what Ukrainians received last year, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said that Ukraine was in a different situation, with Sanders stressing that any decision on changes to immigration policy setting would be a matter for the government.
Ukraine was a unique situation given the size, scale, and nature of the conflict, and the fact that the UNHCR was unable to refer people to New Zealand through our refugee quota, which meant there were no existing pathways for Ukrainian refugees.
He stressed that in Afghanistan, special measures were needed after nationals of Afghanistan who worked for the New Zealand Defence Force as well as other agencies faced risks to their safety.