New Zealand's immigration system is different

A lot of people are confused by the visa application process in New Zealand is so complex compared to other countries. It is completely true, and I think our system is one of the more complex in the world because the role of INZ is to clearly keep people out, unless they strongly prove they meet the strict criteria for a visa.

Compared to other countries the process is long and difficult. An example which highlights the situation well can be seen on one of my favourite YouTube channels Sailing Uma (https://www.youtube.com/@SailingUma), when they travel around the Caribbean and Europe by yacht. Some countries in the Caribbean are very easy, you just walk into the immigration office, pay a small fee and get your passport stamped, all in less than 15 minutes. Some countries you need to plan ahead and actually apply for a visa, but you don’t need a lot of documents, just fill out the form, etc. But in some countries you need a lot of documents, evidence, and in the end need it professionally done.

People are generally never aware of immigration processes in their own country because we don’t need to be. But once you go overseas, the system may be very different to what you expect. New Zealand’s system treats immigration like a quasi-judicial process so it is naturally quite complex. The system is not really designed for use by non-professionals, but INZ will not discourage people making their own application if they want to take the risks.

In the end, the complexity of our immigration system is mainly because it is designed and organised with the assumption that it is being used by legal professionals such as lawyers and licensed immigration advisers.