Immigration
1 portfolio: Immigration. 3 office holders in government, and spokespeople for 3 parties.
Immigration
Government
- Minister of ImmigrationErica Stanford (National), Cabinet
- Associate Minister of ImmigrationCameron Brewer (National), Outside Cabinet
All 11 delegated responsibilities
- Residence appeals referred by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal for consideration of the grant of residence as exceptions to government residence instructions
- Requests for exceptions to government residence instructions
- Requests for special directions made by an individual
- Requests for exceptions to temporary entry class instructions
- Requests for visas under section 61 of the Immigration Act 2009 from people who are not entitled to apply for a visa because they are in New Zealand unlawfully
- Requests for visas under section 61A of the Immigration Act 2009 from a person who is outside New Zealand or is in New Zealand and holds a temporary visa
- Reconsideration of cases after court action
- Requests for children born as a result of international surrogacy arrangements
- Individual decisions on the deportation liability of a residence class visa holder
- Requests under the Parole Act 2002 for early release for the purpose of deportation
- (Within the above responsibilities, the Minister of Immigration retains responsibility for making decisions on whether a person constitutes a threat or risk to security (section 163 of the Immigration Act), cases involving classified information, decisions relating to the immigration status of protected persons who may have committed certain crimes and have been excluded under the Refugee Convention, and decisions on special directions for a class, or classes of person)
- Associate Minister of ImmigrationCasey Costello (NZ First), Cabinet
All 9 delegated responsibilities
- Day-to-day responsibilities for policy and engagement relating to refugees, humanitarian migrants, and settlement support (with the Minister of Immigration retaining lead responsibility), including on matters relating to:
- refugee support services
- management of the refugee quota
- the Refugee Family Support Category
- the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship pilot and other complementary pathways for refugees
- the Refugee Resettlement Strategy and Migrant Settlement and Integration Strategy
- the response to Victoria Casey KC’s review into the Restriction of Movement of Asylum Claimants
- the Special Ukraine Policy
- the New Zealand – Australia Refugee Resettlement Arrangement
- trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants (with the Minister of Immigration retaining responsibility for decisions on a response to a mass arrival and addressing migrant exploitation)
Spokespeople
- LabourPhil TwyfordSpokesperson for Immigration
- GreenRicardo Menéndez MarchSpokesperson for Immigration
- Te Pāti MāoriNone recorded
Sources: Green Party team page (party), 16 September 2026; Labour Party team page (party), 16 September 2026; DPMC Ministerial List (official), 13 August 2026.