Expired New Zealand visa holders unable to fly home urged to contact Immigration New Zealand

Travelers who are unable to fly home due to the volcanic ash cloud grounding flights across Europe have been urged to contact New Zealand Immigration if they are in need of further permits.

Ash clouds from the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland have caused the grounding of most flights in Europe for the past five days; with some 63,000 flights cancelled since Thursday. Air New Zealand is currently accommodating around 500 passengers that left the country on Thursday, but have been stranded in Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

New Zealand Immigration is very sympathetic to overseas travellers who are unable to fly home as scheduled because of the current disruptions to flights caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.

Those who have been forced to delay their flights to Europe should contact the department to discuss their situation if they need further permits or a New Zealand visa to remain in the country while rescheduling travel plans.

The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their New Zealand visa applications to the New Zealand Embassy.