Immigration New Zealand is hunting for visa overstayers from an Indian Holi performance group who failed to leave the country.

The Herald revealed last month that nearly a third of visa applications linked to the group were either declined, withdrawn or flagged for concerns, including fraudulent documents.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) visa director Jock Gilray confirmed today that of the 18 individuals who successfully entered the country, only three have left.

He said of the 15 remaining here, four hold valid visitor visas. The other visas expired on March 6.

“We are prioritising contact with those who are here unlawfully on a case-by-case basis,” Gilray said.

“For privacy reasons, we are not able to go into any further detail.”

Earlier, Gilray said INZ had assessed visa applications for a group of 27 Indian nationals who wished to visit New Zealand as part of a group called Community Holi Celebration with Shibani Kashyap. Kashyap is a popular Bollywood star from Delhi.

The group performed at the Colours in the Park event in Pukekohe last month.

“INZ verified that the event was genuine, including consultation with the Indian Consul-General in Auckland, who confirmed they were supporting the event,” Gilray said.

“A robust and fair assessment process was applied to the individuals making up this group, including collaboration with our risk and verification teams in India.”

He said seven visitor visa applications were approved for the group, each valid for one month.

Four applications were declined and three were withdrawn after concerns were identified with some applications, including fraudulent documents.

Thirteen short-term, limited visas were granted specifically for attendance at the event, after officials determined that this would mitigate identified risks, Gilray said.

Of the 20 people whose applications were approved, 18 arrived between February 11 and 24.

Gilray said one visa holder had not yet travelled, while another was prevented from leaving for New Zealand after additional concerns emerged.

“This is a good example of the challenges INZ staff face every day as we strike the balance between risk management and facilitating visitors.”