WELLINGTON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway on Friday unveiled plans for consultation to strengthen border security by requiring most airline and cruise passengers to provide better information before leaving their home country.
"Our tourism industry is in great health, leading to a huge increase in the number of people coming to New Zealand in recent years, so we need to manage our arrivals and our border security more effectively," Lees-Galloway said in a statement.
The government proposes to establish an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for most international visitors who are granted a visa on arrival in New Zealand.
Under an ETA, applicants would provide similar information to the arrival card, including declarations of any criminal convictions. An ETA would last two years and cost about 9 NZ dollars (6.26 U.S. dollars).
"Holding an ETA will help speed up the process at the border as a result of the extra information border staff will have," he said, adding it also provides the mechanism for helping collect the proposed International Visitor Levy, which is being consulted in conjunction with the ETA.
"New Zealand citizens and residents will be exempt from an ETA, along with holders of valid New Zealand visas and Australian citizens," the minister said.
The minister also announced the opening of public consultation on a review of immigration fees and levies to ensure they reflect the actual costs of providing services and managing risks associated with immigration. The last review was carried out in 2015.
This review aims to correct the over and under recovery in different visa categories that have emerged over time, which will be used to help fund a number of initiatives announced in this year's budget, such as extra immigration staff at the border and increased funding for the Immigration Advisers Authority.
New Zealand charges "remain competitive" compared to other countries, such as Australia, Britain and Canada, he added.
If the proposed changes are adopted, any introduction of an ETA would happen in the second half of 2019 whereas fees and levy changes are expected to come into effect this November, according to the minister.