Refugee quota programme

New Zealand contributes to international humanitarian efforts by helping protect people who are not able to live safely to their home country.

Our government reviews the Refugee Quota Programme every 3 years to ensure it aligns with global resettlement needs. The composition of the refugee quota is agreed to annually by the Ministers of Immigration and Foreign Affairs.

2025-2028 Refugee Quota Programme

New Zealand will continue to accept 1,500 refugees a year under the Refugee Quota Programme for the next 3 years, from 1 July 2025.

General protection places are allocated as follows:

• 50% to Asia-Pacific
• 20% Middle East
• 20% Africa
• 10% Americas.

These allocations are based on:

• global displacement trends
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) data, and
• New Zealand's capacity to support successful settlement.

Refugees considered for resettlement under the programme (except certain applicants who are nuclear or dependent family members of the principal) must be recognised as mandated refugees and referred to New Zealand by UNHCR according to prescribed resettlement guidelines. When Immigration New Zealand (INZ) processes and decides these cases, the following factors are considered:

• INZ policy
• credibility
• settlement
• security
• immigration risk, and
• health.

When refugees arrive in New Zealand

Since World War II New Zealand has resettled over 35,000 refugees. The Government established a formal annual quota for the resettlement of refugees in 1987. The Refugee Quota Programme is a unit within the Refugee and Migrant Services Branch (RMS), a branch of Immigration New Zealand (INZ), tasked with operating the programme. INZ in turn sits within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Refugees who arrive in New Zealand under the Refugee Quota Programme are granted Permanent Residence status in New Zealand. They spend their first 5 weeks in New Zealand at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa (Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre). The Centre is managed by INZ, which works in partnership with other government agencies and non-government organisations (NGO) to run the 5-week reception programme. The reception programme prepares refugees for their new lives in New Zealand.

Before arriving in New Zealand, refugees are provided with information on working and living in New Zealand and an assessment is completed for each refugee to identify needs and services required once refugees arrive at the Centre. Settlement health assessments are also completed outside of New Zealand before arrival and any followed up by the medical team at the Centre. Key focus areas for the reception programme are:

• health and mental health assessments, initial treatment and health promotion
• settlement planning, including orientation to working and living in New Zealand and an employment assessment for working age refugees
• education, including English language. Refugee children are also prepared for their introduction into the New Zealand classroom and national curriculum.

After completing the reception programme, quota refugees are settled throughout New Zealand in:

• Auckland
• Hamilton
• Palmerston North
• Masterton
• Levin
• Wellington
• Nelson
• Blenheim
• Christchurch
• Ashburton
• Timaru
• Dunedin, and
• Invercargill.

Suitable housing (safe, affordable, healthy and appropriate) is located for refugees prior to completion of the reception programme – either public housing or private rentals.

In the community, quota refugees are provided settlement support for up to 2 years including a community orientation programme that complements the reception programme and support to link to services they require to support their settlement in communities.