New Zealanders pushing for pathways to Australian citizenship will lobby Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil in Canberra this week, as more than 11,000 Kiwis remain stuck in a years-long visa processing backlog.
After Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern pledged renewed co-operation between the two countries in June ` including progress on citizenship and enhanced voting rights ` campaigners say applicants for the 189 visa stream were left languishing by the former Morrison government.
NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in June. Nick Moir
Lobby group Oz Kiwi will hold talks at Parliament House, including meeting Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. They will push Labor to end the exclusion of some New Zealanders in Australia from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, despite them having to pay for disability care through the Medicare levy.
Current rules allow some New Zealanders who have lived in Australia for more than four years to become permanent residents. Special categories exist for individuals resident in Australia before February 2001, including access to the NDIS.
The federal government estimates about 670,000 New Zealand citizens live in Australia �` close to 15 per cent of New Zealand’s population. About 70,000 Australians living across the Tasman.
Oz Kiwi chairwoman Joanne Cox praised Dr Chalmers for his commitment to advancing the interest of New Zealanders resident in Australia, as a review of benefits and opportunities for citizens of both countries continues.
It is due to report to both governments before Anzac Day in April.
“If there’s upwards of 650,000 Kiwis in Australia, maybe a third of them would be dual citizens,” she said. “Maybe half the remainder have a pathway to permanent residency. We estimate between 200,000 and 250,000 have no pathway.
“The NDIS is one of the biggest issues. New Zealanders pay the Medicare levy but are the only group in Australia who can’t access the services. Children who were receiving treatment through state-based programs lost access when it all became

part of the NDIS.”
The 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allows citizens of the two countries to enter each other’s country to visit, live and work indefinitely.
New Zealand is the only country that has such an arrangement with Australia. There is no cap on arrivals, and health and character grounds are the only limitations on continued residency.
Ms Cox said Oz Kiwi was not pushing for New Zealanders living in Australia to get expanded voting rights, something flagged by Mr Albanese in July. Parliament’s joint standing committee on electoral matters is considering the proposal.
Constitutional experts and the Liberal Party have warned any such change would almost certainly face a High Court challenge.
“If we could get a fair and affordable pathway to citizenship for those who want it, we wouldn’t need to worry about voting,” Ms Cox said.
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark told The Australian Financial Review voting rights for New Zealanders was question for the federal government.
“It’s a question for Australia. It has the sovereign right to decide who’s going to get the vote, if you’re going to give the right to New Zealanders who aren’t citizens, then isn’t everyone else who’s a permanent resident but not a citizen going to ask?
”It opens up a much bigger question: do you let permanent residents vote? You know, there was a time in New Zealand where voting laws were so lax that people who were overseas students could vote.
“It may be quite hard to argue that New Zealanders should be able to vote but not others who have resident status.”
Oz Kiwi members will also meet with the New Zealand High Commissioner, Dame Annette King while in Canberra.
“We’re doing this work, including pushing for the visa backlog to be quickly addressed, for the people we refer to as the ‘lost Kiwis’. They’re the ones who missed out,” Ms Cox said.
www.samigration.com V.4576

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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