Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
An actor, make-up artist and four directors are among a record number of claims for asylum this year.
Briefings show the government is exploring ways of cutting down on numbers, including a meeting with a UK minister about Britain's refugee policies.
More than 2300 claimed refugee status once they arrived in New Zealand in the 12 months to July.
The number of asylum seekers is more than five times the number before the pandemic and 300 more than the previous record high in 1999.
Immigration New Zealand has taken on 14 more staff in the Refugee Status Unit as a result of the rise, which has led to claimants waiting an average of 13 months for a decision.
More people were being stopped at airports here and sent home - 160 in the first three months of the year.
The majority of the asylum claimants arrived on visitor visas, with half from India, followed by China. Claims from work visa holders included four film or TV directors, an actor and a make-up artist in April this year.
One in five claims is approved and more than a third of all appeals to the immigration and protection tribunal are successful.
A briefing to ministers in March shows officials set out options for dealing with what it called spurious claims, although it noted elsewhere that the vast majority of claims were made with legitimate intentions.
"A likely incentive for spurious claims is our policy of granting claimants a temporary, open work visa while awaiting determination of their claim. The grant of a temporary visa also entitles the claimant to a benefit if they are unable to work.
"This policy ensures the claimant's welfare, giving effect to an obligation under the Refugee Convention. An asylum claimant can therefore obtain a long period of work rights, which increases as claim processing times lengthen. During this time, they might pursue other options to remain, for example obtaining a job that meets the requirements for the grant of an accredited employer work visa or essential skills visa, apply to study, or seek another way to remain."
A third of claims which were withdrawn were dropped after an asylum seeker work visa had been issued. The visas remain valid until they expire.
Officials said the long wait times caused by the backlog had an effect on refugee claimants.
"The current processing time for an acknowledgement letter is one week - without this letter, claimants are unable to access critical support such as emergency benefits and healthcare. The average decision time of 13.5 months is also impacting claimants. Frontline staff in agencies including MSD, IRD and Te Whatu Ora are questioning claimants' eligibility for services when they present documentation that is over a year old.
"In addition, community support service providers such as the Asylum Seekers Support Trust are coping with huge caseloads and report more homelessness among vulnerable claimants."
They note that even with the additional staff, wait times could extend up to three years.
"With the additional staff (once they are fully trained which will take about nine months), we expect to process approximately 1000 claims per annum.
"On current projections the RSU will receive over 2184 claims in 2023/24 and have 2439 claims on hand on 1 July 2024. This would take two to three years to clear even if no further claims were received. The backlog would continue to grow as long as inflow outstrips processing capacity."
The documents also show the government weighed up the chance of more asylum claims from Fiji when it removed their need for transit visas as they passed through New Zealand.
"MBIE officials have carried out a risk assessment and found that Fijian transit travellers are likely to have low risk of ... unmeritorious asylum claims."
Among steps taken to address the increase was additional airline liaison officers at overseas airports and targeting cohorts of asylum claims to identify and fast-track those which are "potentially unmeritorious".
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford met with the UK's minister for legal migration and the border in May, which included notes on Britain's designation of Rwanda as a safe third country to house asylum claimants.
The UK does not allow asylum seekers work rights until they have been in the country for a year.
Briefings note that the other M5 (Migration 5) countries of the UK, Canada, US and Australia have also seen big upswings in claim rates, and that New Zealand's numbers remain very small in comparison to those countries.
