Visa application fees going up – limited opportunity to save money

From 1 October 2024, there will be substantial increases in visa application fees. The government has announced it will increase the fees for most visa categories to help pay for the cost of running the immigration system, IT upgrades, visa processing, risk management, compliance activities and English as a Second Language (ESOL) tuition for schools that have been under increasing pressure with new enrolments from children needing this additional support.

This means visa applicants will pay a much higher government fee for applications that are lodged on or after 1 October 2024.

There is a small window of opportunity to save money if you apply now. If you were planning to apply for any type of visa (e.g. extending your work visa, or residence, changing the type of visa you hold or having family join you in New Zealand) don't delay moving forward. Our team can help you get a visa application ready to lodge quickly to beat the fee increases.

Immigration NZ is more likely to decline an incomplete visa application because it is missing key information that would allow an Immigration Officer to make a favourable decision. If an application is declined people need to reapply and pay another government fee. Use a trusted expert to manage your visa application. This will save you time, stress and money.

In the last financial year (July 2023 to June 2024) applicants who did not use an adviser had the highest decline rates.

For example:

• 73% of declined residence applications did not use an adviser
• 97% of declined Visitor Visa applications were not represented by an adviser
• 70% of declined work visa applications did not have an adviser managing the application

Here are some examples of the new fees effective on 1 October 2024 to illustrate that the increases are substantial.

If you have any questions or concerns about these visa fee increases or want to apply before the new fees take effect contact our team today.