New Zealand’s Immigration and Protection Tribunal has rejected all 40 published Khalistan-linked asylum cases it decided in 2025 and 2026, marking a clear shift from two successful claims granted in 2024.A review of published tribunal decisions identified 15 such cases in 2025 and 25 so far in 2026. None resulted in refugee recognition.According to a report published recently by Awaaz, the reversal follows two successful cases in 2024, when the tribunal recognised Indian nationals as refugees after accepting that their public support for Khalistan could expose them to persecution if returned to India.Those successful applicants had highly visible political profiles, including sustained pro-Khalistan social media activity, involvement with separatist groups and, in one case, a prominent Khalistan-related tattoo.The Australia Today, which reported the same findings recently, noted that lawyers have since cited one or both of the 2024 decisions in at least nine unsuccessful cases.The tribunal has repeatedly found that later applicants had significantly lower-profile political activity and provided insufficient evidence that Indian authorities were aware of their involvement.In one case cited by both outlets, an applicant had voted in a non-binding Khalistan referendum in Auckland and attended a protest outside the Indian High Commission in Wellington.The tribunal found those activities were “low level” and there was no evidence they had attracted the attention of Indian authorities.The decisions indicate that support for Khalistan alone is not enough to establish a refugee claim. Applicants must demonstrate a credible and individualised risk of persecution if returned to India.Immigration New Zealand does not publish asylum statistics by the specific grounds relied upon by applicants.An INZ spokesperson told Awaaz: “While some information may exist within case records, it would require extensive manual review and is not held in a readily retrievable format for reporting purposes.”