Big Increase In Consular Work

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31989, 16 May 1969, Page 20

Big Increase In Consular Work

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 15. A World-Wide increase in the tourist industry and in international travel generally, particularly among young people, was reflected

in an increase in consular work last year, the Department of External Affairs said in its annual report.

The report was tabled in Parliament today by the Minister of External Affairs (Mr Holyoake). At several diplomatic missions and consulates, the increase over the last three or four years had been dramatic, the report said. In Kuala Lumpur both the number of inquiries received from students and the number of students actually coming to New Zealand had increased more than four-fold in four years. At Bangkok six times as many student applications were approved in 1968-69 as in 1965. This was in addition to students coming under the Colombo Plan. In the last five years passport and visa work at Los Angeles had increased fourfold or five-fold. Over a similar period, the number of visas issued in New York more than doubled and the number of passports issued increased by 60 per cent.

In the last 12 months there was an increase of 50 per cent in passport and visa work in San Francisco.

In Tokyo the visa work had doubled in five years.

The steady annual growth of consular work was indicated when, this year, 5425 passports were issued overseas, compared with 4472 last year, and 29,133 visas were issued, compared with 26,694 last year. The number of private overseas students in New Zealand, which had been growing steadily over the last few years, increased rapidly from 1570 in 1967-68 to 2255 this year.

“Several overseas posts are becoming seriously concerned at the amount of time being consumed by consular work,” the report said.