As of 20 March 2026, how many refugee claims are currently on hand, if any, and what percentage of these claimants have been convicted of serious offences since arriving in New Zealand?

Answer

As of 31 March, there were 4,104 refugee claims are currently on hand. Of those at least 12 people have been identified as having been convicted of a serious offence since arriving in New Zealand. These offences include including murder, accessory to murder, rape, indecent acts on a child, drug offences, arson, and dangerous driving causing death. Each of these has resulted in at least one, if not more, victims of crime causing immeasurable damage and imposing significant costs on our criminal justice system. There may be further claimants among the 4,104 with convictions who have not yet been identified yet as their claim has not yet progressed to the point where convictions are identified. This figure also does not include people who have been charged with a serious offence or plead guilty or been found guilty but have not yet been convicted.