For most refugees, the journey of resettlement in a new country is not a straightforward experience. This can even be more pronounced for those who resettle alone without other family members. Recognising the isolation and worry experienced by sole refugees, New Zealand created a visa category that enables some former refugees to sponsor one or more family members to receive a resident visa.

Because this visa category is not part of the Refugee Quota Programme, the wraparound support that had previously been made available to the sponsoring former refugee wasn’t available to their family members whom they were sponsoring. Immigration New Zealand saw an opportunity to improve the design of the visa category and to provide additional settlement support to the family members.

We partnered with lived experience advisors to undertake research interviews with former refugees and their allies, understanding their journey to sponsorship and family settlement. We heard about the emotional toll created by the application process; while the visa category enables families to be reconnected, the application can create a lot of stress and uncertainty lasting many years. In addition, people felt like they had to put their lives on pause while waiting for their application to be reviewed as changes in their circumstances (e.g. getting married or having children) could impact the application.

One impact arising from this project has been the provision of a settlement support service via several regional refugee settlement support providers. Another impact was the removal of a significant pain point; instead of the sponsor needing to provide proof of accommodation for their family at the time of application, potentially years ahead of the arrival of their family, they are now supported to develop an accommodation plan immediately following approval of their application.