Photo: RNZ
Immigration New Zealand has received nearly 300 offshore visa applications from Israeli, Palestinian and Iranian nationals since 1 June 2025.
It follows the most recent armed conflict between Israel and Iran, which started on 13 June when Israel launched an air attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders.
In a statement to RNZ, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said the government agency "understands the difficult situation this crisis is causing for many and has great sympathy for those separated from their loved ones during this stressful time".
INZ acting director visa Marcelle Foley said 277 offshore visa applications from Israelis, Palestinians and Iranians had been made across all visa categories since the start of last month.
The vast majority were Iranian nationals.
"230 visa applications were submitted from Iranian nationals," Foley said.
"Of those, 93 have been approved and seven declined. The remaining applications are either still under assessment or have been withdrawn.
"Forty-one applications were submitted by Israeli nationals. Twenty-four have been approved, one was declined, and the remainder are still being processed.
"Six applications were submitted from Palestinian nationals, with two approved and the rest currently under assessment."
INZ also revealed that since 7 October 2023, a total of 8634 New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) applications have been granted to Israeli nationals.
"Israel is a visa waiver country. This means Israeli citizens visiting New Zealand temporarily do not need to apply for a visitor visa but must obtain a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)," said Marcelle Foley, Acting Director Visa.
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