US interest in moving to New Zealand has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of people seeking information on how to emigrate surging by 65 percent in May.
New Zealand went into lockdown on March 25 and by May was beginning to ease restrictions, with the disease effectively eliminated by shutting the borders to foreigners and enforcing strict stay-at-home orders.
Fewer than 1,500 people have been infected with COVID-19 in New Zealand, and 22 have died.
According to figures released by Immigration New Zealand, visits to the New Zealand Now Web site by Americans increased 37 percent in April compared with the same period last year, and 65 percent in May, with a total of 80,000 Americans expressing an interest in shifting to the southern hemisphere in that month alone.
British citizens also showed an increased interest in relocating, up 18.5 percent, or by 31,000 people, in May. The other top nationalities visiting the site were Australians, South Africans and Indians.
Similar surges of interest were noted after the election of Donald Trump as US president and the Brexit vote in 2016.
In the 24 hours following the 2016 US election, Immigration New Zealand received 56,300 visits from the US — a huge rise on its daily average of 2,300.
Within the same period, more than 7,000 Americans registered interest in moving to New Zealand, which is more than double the monthly average.
The US leads the world in coronavirus cases — nearly 2.9 million — and deaths, which stand at almost 130,000.
Trump has said that 99 percent of cases are “harmless.”
The borders to New Zealand are closed to all foreign nationals, with only a few exceptions granted to those deemed essential workers — such as the crew of James Cameron’s Avatar sequel.
Visa applications are on hold, with more than 100,000 waiting to be processed, as foreigners continue submitting applications, despite the closures.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given no indication when she will reopen the borders, saying that her priority is keeping New Zealanders safe and to do so now would be “dangerous.”
New Zealand real-estate agents told state broadcaster TVNZ that they have also noted a spike in foreigners interested in purchasing New Zealand properties, with more than one-quarter of inquiries coming from overseas.
Despite the interest, it is harder than ever before for foreigners to build a new life in New Zealand, with the Labour-led government banning house sales to foreigners in 2017 and tightening up requirements for would-be residents.
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