New Zealand Releases List of Top 10 Countries Whose Citizens Overstayed Their Visas in 2026
- Immigration New Zealand estimated that about 19,153 people were living in the country with expired visas as at July 1, 2026
- The agency refined its counting method this year, which contributed to a drop of about 8.7 per cent from the 2025 figure of 20,979 overstayers
- Citizens from China, Tonga, and the United States topped the list of nationalities estimated to have overstayed their visas
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has released its 2026 estimate of people living in the country beyond their permitted stay, putting the figure at approximately 19,153 people as at July 1, 2026.
The agency publishes this estimate annually and said the figure reflects about 30 years of immigration and border movement data, covering the period since electronic records were introduced.
Source: Getty Images
The full breakdown is available on the INZ official statistics page.
New Zealand: Top 10 nationalities who overstayed their visas in 2026
INZ identified the following as the top 10 nationalities estimated to have overstayed their visas in New Zealand:
1. China: 2,694.
2. Tonga: 2,541.
3. United States of America: 1,981.
4. India: 1,522.
5. Samoa: 1,462.
6. Great Britain: 1,117.
7. Philippines: 898.
8. Malaysia: 574.
9. Vietnam: 538.
10. Fiji: 512.
All other nationalities combined account for an additional 5,314 people, bringing the total to 19,153.
New Zealand: Why the number dropped from last year
The 2026 figure is about 8.7 per cent lower than the 2025 estimate of 20,979. INZ said this reduction reflects improvements to the methodology used to calculate the number rather than a change in the underlying approach.
Specifically, the agency removed two groups from its count: Exemption NZeTA holders and Air Crew NZeTA holders. INZ explained that these groups already fall under visa categories that are excluded from the methodology, meaning their inclusion in previous estimates was inconsistent.
Removing them brings the estimate in line with existing exclusion rules and reduces the chance of people being incorrectly counted as overstayers.
INZ said the refinements were made to improve accuracy, consistency, and completeness, and do not signal a policy shift or suggest that fewer people are actually overstaying their visas compared to prior years.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that New Zealand had named the categories of people facing travel disruptions.
New Zealand shares cost of visa for indefinite work
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that New Zealand had published the cost of a special visa that allows foreigners to work indefinitely.
The Pacific Access Category Resident Visa, administered by Immigration New Zealand, is open to citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Successful registrants are invited to apply for the visa after their name is drawn from the ballot, which makes the pathway to New Zealand residency a competitive and selective process.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
