An increasing number of Americans are now considering a move to the land of the long white cloud, according to figures released by Immigration New Zealand.
The Guardian reports 80,000 Americans visited the website ‘New Zealand Now’, which provides information on how to emigrate, in May, a 65% increase compared to the same time last year.
Immigration New Zealand also noticed a spike in interest from the UK, with visits up 18.5% during the same period.
It’ll be a while before these people can become honorary Kiwis sadly however.
New Zealand visas are currently on hold – with a backlog of 100,000 waiting to be processed.
Experts believe the increase has been brought about by COVID, with similar increases to the average number of visits observed after events like Donald Trump’s win in the 2016 US presidential election and the UK Brexit vote (both understandable to us).
With over three million cases recorded in the US and counting (compared to just over 1,500 in NZ), you can’t blame Americans for thinking the grass is a little greener on the other hemisphere.
