People have shared fake letters that claim to be from Immigration New Zealand. Photo / 123rf
People have shared fake letters that claim to be from Immigration New Zealand. Photo / 123rf
Foreigners planning to visit New Zealand have allegedly received hoax Immigration New Zealand (INZ) letters stating their approved visa has since been denied.
An individual shared a photo of a fake letter to the private Facebook group, New Zealand Travel Tips (NZTT), asking if other travellers had received a similar letter.
“Do not attempt travel to New Zealand,” said the letter, which was dated January 15, 2025, and included the person’s application number, client number and an INZ logo.
The letter claimed that, despite the person’s visa being approved on November 28, 2024, “post-decision assurance checks” caused concern.
While some travellers can visit New Zealand via the visa-free scheme, called the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), it depends on the country they are from, how they travel and their purpose for visiting.
“You cannot travel to New Zealand on your Visitor Visa until our concerns are resolved,” it stated, adding that the person may be contacted for further information.
“If you try to travel to New Zealand before these concerns are resolved, you may not be allowed to board your flights at any point during your journey to New Zealand or refused entry at the border on arrival,” it added.
A letter received by someone intending to visit New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
The letter concluded by saying a case officer would contact them “in the next 1 week” and signed off “Nga mihi” without the correct macrons.
Online, other travellers claim to have received similar letters regarding approved visitor visas which were then declined due to “post-decision assurance checks”.
INZ’s national manager of risk and verification, Aaron Smith, confirmed the letter shared with the Herald was a fake.
Smith clarified that INZ occasionally sends letters to applicants if they identify concerns after a visa has been granted but before the person has travelled.
“In these circumstances, we may undertake verification checks or collaborate with specialised risk and verification teams, both domestic and international,” he explained.
“These checks encompass a wide array of activities, such as open-source checks, document examinations and comparisons, third-party consultations, and interviews with applicants or related individuals and organisations.”
How to avoid visa scams
Smith said INZ is aware of scam emails and websites impersonating the organisation’s online services and has urged people to use official links.
“We strongly encourage anyone applying for visas to use official links to these services via the official INZ website to make sure they are not being tricked into visiting fake websites,” he said.
Only official INZ website links end in ‘.immigration.govt.nz’ and Smith recommended inspecting links closely as scam addresses can look similar.
“If any applicant is unsure whether they have received genuine correspondence from us, they can contact us directly via the details on our website,” he added.
