AUCKLAND: Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced that from 1 January 2026, service fees at New Zealand Visa Application Centres (VACs) will be increased in 26 countries, including Pakistan.
The officials declared that the major reason for the increment is the rise in operational costs and inflation. However, the actual visa fees that are paid directly to INZ will remain at the same rate.
INZ points out that the fee adjustment is a step towards ensuring the smooth running of operations after the recent upgrades of the system. The VAC service fees are those that are paid for the facilitation of documents, assistance in the application process, and customer support, which are mostly services provided by VFS Global or similar agencies.
Applicants should be aware of the changes in service fees applicable to their country before they lodge their visa applications so that they won’t face any inconvenience or delays.
The increment of the fee will be enacted in several countries in Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East, such as:
Asia: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Iran
Middle East: United Arab Emirates, Turkey
Europe: United Kingdom
Americas: United States
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu
Africa: South Africa
Moreover, INZ declared that they are aware of the temporary technical problems concerning online access to documents, and the responsible teams are working on resolving them.
An expert’s opinion is that future travelers should keep visiting the INZ and VFS Global websites regularly to check for the newest updates on the fees. They should also allow some time for application processing and plan their trips well in advance so that they will not be inconvenienced with delays.
