Immigration NZ's Sneaky Fee Hike Is Hitting Tourists and Students

Have you noticed how every time the Government tinkers with fees and levies, it feels like we’re being stung by stealth? It’s no different with the visa fee hikes and the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) jump.

Let’s be clear about what’s happening. The IVL is shooting up from $35 to a whopping $100 next month. That’s a mandatory charge, slapped on when you apply for a visa or the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). If you’re thinking this has been well communicated, think again.

The latest news about Immigration New Zealand (INZ) claims they’ve updated their website to reflect these changes, but the clarity is still lacking. There's no "total price for a visa" displayed anywhere—just a vague note that "some people" need to pay the IVL. Good luck trying to figure out if you're one of them.

And don’t even get me started on the tourists and students who are paying for a visa only to have their application rejected. They fork out for the IVL upfront, and guess what? No refunds. Last year, over 100,000 people paid the IVL without ever setting foot in New Zealand, netting the Government a cool $3.5 million in its back pocket. With the levy increase, that’s set to balloon to $10 million this year if the same number of rejections roll in. Nice little earner, right?

But here's the kicker—student visas were never even mentioned when the Government announced these fee changes. So, students might get hit with an extra $100, bumping the new student visa fee from $750 to $850, and they won’t even know it until it’s too late.

So much for transparency. Instead of giving clear, upfront costs, we’re left navigating a minefield of levies and fees, none of which seem to add up. That’s not just bad management, it’s poor form from a Government that ought to know better.