NZ now has an asylum problem

Stuff reports:

The number of people claiming refugee status in New Zealand has exploded in the past two years, statistics released by Immigration New Zealandshow.

In the 11 months to 31 May 2024, a total of 2220 people claimed refugee status in New Zealand.

Half of these asylum seekers – 1108 people – were from a single country: India.

Before the Covid pandemic, the number of refugee claimants averaged only 400 people a year.

So a 400% increase in asylum claims strongly suggests, there is gaming.

It’s not because more genuine refugees are coming to New Zealand.

Pre-Covid, approval rates for refugee claims were around 35%, but that rate has dropped to 21% in the past three years.

So the vast majority are not legitimate.

Refugee claimants qualify for Emergency Benefits from Work & Income, and free legal aid from lawyers specialising in refugee claims. In 2000, it was estimated by INZ that each refugee claim costs New Zealand $30,000 – that figure is likely to be a lot higher now.

Let’s say it is now $50,000. The annual cost could be $100 million, which is not available for other purposes.

Refugee claimants are currently being granted 12-month ‘open’ work visas while awaiting their claims to be heard. This encourages more people to try coming to New Zealand to gain asylum-seeker privileges.

Rather an incentive.