On December 2, Immigration New Zealand said in a release, “We have contacted a group of people who were recently declined visas to visit a New Zealand citizen or resident partner. These people have been told they may apply for a visitor visa which will be assessed against updated guidelines. The fee for this application will be waived.”

“Applicants must meet all requirements for a visitor visa and there is no guarantee in any particular case that a visa will be granted,” it added.

On how these applications will be assessed, Immigration NZ added, “An immigration officer will assess all the information provided and make a decision on the application, which will be intimated to the applicants via email. We will assess each application against our requirements, based on the information and evidence provided by the applicant.”

-TIN Bureau