INZ estimates 19,153 people overstayed visas as at 1 July 2026

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) published its 2026 estimate of people who had overstayed their visas on 15 September. It estimated that 19,153 people were in New Zealand after overstaying as at 1 July 2026.

The estimate is around 8.7% below the 2025 estimate of 20,979. INZ says it refined its methodology to improve accuracy, consistency and completeness, including removing some NZeTA holder groups that align with visa categories already excluded. Using the same methodology as in 2025, INZ says the 2026 estimate would have been 20,994 — 15 higher than the previous estimate. The apparent decrease therefore largely reflects methodology changes, rather than a like-for-like year-on-year fall.

The Philippines ranked seventh in INZ’s estimate by nationality, with 898 people. This total estimate is different from a separate count of people who arrived on temporary visas during the three years from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026 and were recorded as overstayers on 1 July 2026. For that arrivals group, INZ recorded 179 overstayers from 125,118 temporary visa arrivals from the Philippines, or 0.14%.

Across all nationalities, INZ recorded 6,559 overstayers among 5,046,078 temporary visa arrivals over the same three-year period — 0.13%. INZ says the vast majority of people who visit, work or study in New Zealand comply with their visa conditions by leaving before expiry or obtaining a further visa to remain lawfully.

INZ describes the estimate as a statistical model used for risk management, operational planning and policy development. It is not used to identify specific individuals.

If you hold a temporary visa, keep track of its expiry date and check your visa conditions. If you intend to remain in New Zealand, review your options early using current INZ guidance.