A political row erupted in Wellington on 27 June 2026 when New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters publicly criticised what he called an “abrupt change of course” by his own coalition government on immigration settings linked to the recently-concluded New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In a strongly-worded post on X, Peters said draft regulations circulated by Immigration New Zealand would impose a labour-market test, an in-country application ban and tighter family-reunification rules on Indian citizens—conditions that do not apply to nationals of China, Thailand, South Korea and other FTA partners.
![New Zealand Minister Slams ‘India-Only’ Entry Curbs in NZ-India FTA Immigration Chapter]()
Travellers and companies caught in the middle of shifting visa policies frequently look for reliable, real-time guidance. VisaHQ can help by providing detailed advice, document checklists and application support for Indian passport holders and businesses affected by the evolving rules; you can learn more at https://www.visahq.com/india/
Officials had warned ministers, he added, that “singling out Indians” could trigger legal challenges or retaliatory measures from New Delhi and undermine New Zealand’s reputation as an open economy. The leaked settings appear to reverse the headline mobility concessions negotiated last year, under which Indian professionals were to obtain streamlined temporary work visas with a path to residence after three years. Indian IT and construction firms that had begun staffing projections based on the original text say the proposed amendments will “dramatically raise compliance risk” and could steer investment towards Australia or Canada instead. For Indian companies that already send short-term assignees to New Zealand, the mooted ban on in-country status changes is particularly disruptive: employees would have to leave New Zealand to file for an extension, adding at least three weeks of down-time and extra travel cost. Trade negotiators in New Delhi told Global Mobility News they expect Delhi to raise the matter at the next joint-committee meeting in July. If the rules are promulgated unchanged, experts say Indian exporters could withhold final ratification of the FTA’s services annex—a clause that also covers mutual qualification recognition and social-security totalisation.
Travellers and companies caught in the middle of shifting visa policies frequently look for reliable, real-time guidance. VisaHQ can help by providing detailed advice, document checklists and application support for Indian passport holders and businesses affected by the evolving rules; you can learn more at https://www.visahq.com/india/
Officials had warned ministers, he added, that “singling out Indians” could trigger legal challenges or retaliatory measures from New Delhi and undermine New Zealand’s reputation as an open economy. The leaked settings appear to reverse the headline mobility concessions negotiated last year, under which Indian professionals were to obtain streamlined temporary work visas with a path to residence after three years. Indian IT and construction firms that had begun staffing projections based on the original text say the proposed amendments will “dramatically raise compliance risk” and could steer investment towards Australia or Canada instead. For Indian companies that already send short-term assignees to New Zealand, the mooted ban on in-country status changes is particularly disruptive: employees would have to leave New Zealand to file for an extension, adding at least three weeks of down-time and extra travel cost. Trade negotiators in New Delhi told Global Mobility News they expect Delhi to raise the matter at the next joint-committee meeting in July. If the rules are promulgated unchanged, experts say Indian exporters could withhold final ratification of the FTA’s services annex—a clause that also covers mutual qualification recognition and social-security totalisation.
