Eligibility Quiz
Are you currently physically present in New Zealand or at a New Zealand port of entry?
Requirements
To qualify for protection in New Zealand, you must meet the criteria for either Refugee Status or Protected Person Status as defined by the Immigration Act 2009.
1. Refugee Status
You must demonstrate a "well-founded fear of being persecuted" in your home country. This persecution must be linked to one of five specific grounds:
- Race
- Religion
- Nationality
- Membership in a particular social group (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identity, or specific family ties)
- Political opinion
2. Protected Person Status
If you do not meet the specific definition of a refugee, you may still qualify as a "protected person" if there are substantial grounds to believe that, if deported, you would be in danger of:
- Torture (under the Convention Against Torture)
- Arbitrary deprivation of life or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)
Critical Limitations and Disqualifiers
- Safe Third Countries: If you hold citizenship in another safe country or have the right to reside in a country where you are not at risk, you generally will not qualify for protection in New Zealand.
- Serious Crimes: You may be excluded from protection if there are serious reasons to believe you have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, or serious non-political crimes outside of New Zealand.
- National Security: Under legislation updated in late 2025, the government maintains the power to strip residence from individuals deemed a significant threat to national security.
- Subsequent Claims: If a previous claim was declined, you cannot lodge a new one unless you can prove that your circumstances (or the conditions in your home country) have changed significantly.
Conditions & Warnings
Consistency between the initial port-of-entry interview and the formal written statement is critical for credibility.
New 2025 legislation allows the government to strip residence from refugees deemed a threat to national security.
Wait times for officer allocation currently range from 9 to 12 months before the formal 140-day processing goal begins.
Qualifications
No language requirement for protection claims.
Fees
There is no fee to lodge a claim for refugee or protection status.
Program Details
New Zealand is on our roadmap
We can notify you when we're ready to support New Zealand.
Key Developments
New bespoke detention settings for refugee and protection status claimants came into effect to better account for their unique vulnerabilities and align with international obligations.
mbie.govt.nz ↗The Minister of Immigration gained new powers to cancel the residence class visas of individuals who pose a security threat but cannot be deported due to the risk of torture.
mbie.govt.nz ↗The Refugee Quota Programme for 2025–2028 commenced, maintaining an annual intake of 1,500 while removing the fixed 200-place allocation for large-scale crises to allow for more flexible use of quota places.
immigration.govt.nz ↗