The day after Brexit, 998 people applied to emigrate to the country – despite just 109 people showing their interest in moving the day before the country took to the polls.
Advertisement
The spike was revealed by New Zealand’s immigration agency, which said it received 10,647 registrations of interest from potential British migrants in the seven weeks after the referendum, compared with 4,599 during the same period past year.
The outcome of the UK’s referendum on European Union membership has led to a surge in the number of Britons registering an interest in moving to New Zealand, government statistics show.
A spokeswoman for the immigration office said that it usually receives 3000 registrations from British nationals interested in studying, working or investing in New Zealand per month.
“I anticipate that post Brexit and if [presidential candidate Donald] Trump wins in America, you’re going to see a spike in interest from people there about coming to New Zealand”.
Professor John Morgan, a British expat and academic at the University of Auckland, said the current wave of interest in New Zealand reminded him of the “political refugees” from the 1980s who fled the Thatcher government.
He claimed applicants were “tired of narrow-minded Britain”.
Last month 272 applications for residence from United Kingdom citizens were accepted, and 566 Chinese applications, with Professor Spoonley saying he doesn’t think numerous Brits who have registered an interest will end up moving.
“We’re seen as very safe, we’ve got a good lifestyle, we’ve got a lot of things that are attractive to Brits, including that we operate in our version of English”.
The number of people in Britain registering to move to New Zealand has increased ten-fold since the referendum, with the country recording a total of 10,647 applications 49 days after the result, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Britain had traditionally been New Zealand’s main source country for permanent migrants.
“The size and the depth of the Chinese middle class, and push factors such as pollution in China, always is going to mean the Chinese are going to be a very significant source of immigrants”, said Prof Spoonley.
Advertisement
Last month, Immigration accepted 272 applications for residence by Britons and 566 Chinese applications. Over the year, 21,999 Britons were granted work visas and 1,388 obtained student visas.
