Holiday-makers who want to spend longer than three months in Britain visa-free could soon find themselves out of luck, unless intense lobbying efforts by Prime Minister Helen Clark can turn around planned changes to UK visa rules.
The British Government has just ended consultation on a raft of proposals to significantly change its visa rules, as it faces a growing influx of people across its borders - particularly following the growth of the European Union.
Sweeping changes to Britain's immigration system are planned but in the process of wanting to stop risky people from arriving and tourists from overstaying, British authorities have caught New Zealanders in their net.
Among the changes proposed is one to reduce the amount of time a New Zealand citizen can visit visa-free, from the present six months to three months.
People who have been able to travel to the United Kingdom for six months visa-free for business could also see their time cut in half to three months.
Film crews and academic visitors who can now enter visa-free for 12 months are in line for a dramatic cut to just three months.
Those affected could still make their travel, but they would first have to apply for a visa if the new rules go ahead.
The impact the changes would have on New Zealanders has prompted the government to make a formal submission to its British counterpart, and Ms Clark is also set to raise the issue when she visits the UK next month for a memorial service for Sir Edmund Hillary.
Yesterday Ms Clark said it was hard to get solid information on how many people were actually affected, but the changes could be ‘‘quite damaging''.
The Prime Minister said she was also aware of New Zealanders who did not complete a working holiday in their younger years but chose to travel for several months later in life.
New Zealand allows British people to stay in this country for six months visa-free.
This is not the first time the New Zealand government has had to fight for its visa rights - though on previous occasions proposed changes have focused on working holiday visas.
New Zealand has been successful in staving off changes in those areas and Ms Clark is hopeful of a similar outcome for holiday- makers and others affected by the latest proposals.
New Zealand will argue that its visitors help the British economy and are of low risk, while its business people, academics and film crews also do work of mutual benefit to both countries.
‘‘It's not like New Zealand is being done a favour here, we're actually adding to the capacity of the British economy,'' Ms Clark said.
In a separate consultation, New Zealand's government is also preparing a submission to argue against suggestions that the ancestry visa should be abolished.
That visa allows for special treatment of people whose grandparents were born in the UK.
The clampdown on visas has come as the British government comes under pressure on immigration.
As the European Union has grown, so has the number of countries which have better access to Britain - and it is felt that the government there is moving to tighten rules on non-EU immigration as a counterbalance.
