Applicants hoping to secure a place among the 1650 New Zealand permanent residences on offer through the annual Samoa quota have turned to agencies for help.

The Samoa Quota Draw 2023, which was officially opened on Tuesday this week, has increased by 550 from the traditional 1100 a year to 1650 a year. 

As registration for the Samoan quota resident visa is now online, many Samoans have turned to travel agencies to assist file their registration. 

The Le Aiga Travel Agent at Tufuiopa near the main police station confirmed receiving countless phone calls, queries and walk-ins from locals registering for this year’s quota. 

A representative from the Le Aiga Travel Agent said a lot of Samoans have sought their help, given the new change in policy that dropped the paperwork and moved the process online. 

He said most of the queries are in regard to documentation the applicants need to provide and the process. 

Another agent, the Samoa Travel Assist also received similar queries from members of the public that contacted their office. A representative from the agency said they had about ten people coming into their office in the morning wanting to understand the requirements. 

Their online platform is also receiving a lot of questions on the quota scheme. Although registering your own application is free most locals don’t mind paying a small fee charged by travel agents as they find it difficult to navigate online. 

A statement from the Government Press Secretariat confirmed the change in policy and increase in successful applicants for 2022 to 2025. 

It stated places available for local resident wishing to register and secure permanent residence in New Zealand under the scheme has increased by 550 from 1000 a year to 1650 a year. 

“Local residents needing an immigration visa to enter New Zealand are now mandated to apply online,” said the statement. “The new policy is in effect during the Samoa Quota Draw 2023 now opened for registration until August 31st 2023.” 

The increase in registration according to Immigration New Zealand, (INZ) will make up for the “unused places when the Samoa Quota was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that for Samoa, the unused SQ people-places will be reallocated over the years 2022-2025 with an additional 550 people-places available each year-the total annual SQ people-places allocation will be 1,650 during this time.

The online registration has been in place since October 2022 when borders opened after COVID-19 and had since been compulsory to register online.  The online process follows successful consultations between I.N.Z. and Pacific Governments via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (M.F.A.T.).

“Moving to online registrations allows for applications to be processed more efficiently and provides flexibility to process across the INZ Network,” said the I.N.Z. It added that “stakeholders were comfortable with the move online.”

Tentatively the ballot draw to randomly select successful applications by ballot is scheduled for October 6th 2023 followed by Letters to successful applicants drawn sent out from October 16th-20th.

The successful applicants are required to apply for New Zealand residency within eight (8 months) of being issued their invitation to apply, (ITA).