Immigration New Zealand Data Flawed; INZ Unrepentant In Overstating Arrival Numbers for Ukraine Refugees
The Wigram finds INZ is using a "all arrivals" method for calculating refugee numbers & could be using the same flawed method for other migrant numbers relied on by politicians, media and the public.
INZ has now twice admitted it does not base its arrival numbers for Ukrainian refugees on a per-head basis. Rather its counts each entry by a single person as one arrival.
Photographs courtesy of Vladimir Rodnyanskiy
This means that if one Ukraine refugee enters the country, returns to Ukraine, and then re-enters the border, INZ will record that as “2” arrivals. The fact that only one person has entered the country is immaterial.
“The website uses slightly different methodology in that it includes “all arrivals” by an applicant/visa holder, to indicate how many total arrivals we have recorded against a particular visa and does not filter out those that have already arrived and then departed New Zealand.”
Richa, an Associate Deputy Secretary Immigration
It might also be using this method to calculate arrival numbers for other groups of arrivals.
The latest admission came after The Wigram compared arrivals’ data for refugees being granted entry under the government’s Special Ukraine Visa program against data on the INZ website.
The website stated that on 5 July this year, 686 refugees had arrived. INZ had previously informed The Wigram that 647 people had arrived by 12 August. Thus, in the space of just over one month the arrivals’ number had inexplicably dropped.
The Wigram sought an explanation for the sudden drop in arrivals.
Yesterday, Richa, an associate deputy secretary immigration, explained that:
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