New Zealand is offering permanent residency to all of those who were at two mosques in Christchurch last month when a terrorist killed 50 people, as well as to the survivors’ immediate relatives, the country’s immigration minister said Tuesday.

The move, which the New Zealand immigration agency estimated would cover about 190 people, followed public pleas from survivors and family members of the victims for certainty about their immigration status. Many of them have temporary work or study visas.

The immigration minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, said the severity of the assaults, and the anguish of the survivors, had required a “significant” response from the government.

“These people were victims of a deliberate attack that was designed to inflict maximum level of physical harm and maximum level of mental trauma as well,” he said.

The government did not publicly announce the offer for permanent resident visas. Instead, an information page was quietly added to the immigration agency’s website.

New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Show all 11 1 /11 New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Zakaria Bhuiyan People gather hoping to find out information about Zakaria Bhuiyan who is still missing after the mosques shootings in Christchurch. David Moir/AFP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Mucad Ibrahim Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim, the youngest known victim of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. Abdi Ibrahim via AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Nadeem Rasheed Nadeem Rasheed, brother of Pakistani Naeem Rashid who died alongside his son Talha Naeem, 21, who were killed in shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, at their home town in Abbottabad, EPA New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Omar Nabi Omar Nabi speaks to the media about losing his father Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, in the mosque attack REUTERS New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Ash Mohammed Ash Mohammed, right, talks to a police officer about his father and two brothers who are missing near the Masjid Al Noor mosque AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Akhtar Khokhur Akhtar Khokhur, 58, shows a picture of her missing husband Mehaboobbhai Khokhar, 65. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Wasseim Alsati A note is seen on a window of a door at the family home of Wasseim Alsati in Christchurch on 17 March 2019. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Haroon Mahmood Relatives offer condolences to nephew (centre) of Haroon Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen who was killed in Christchurch mosque shootings. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Farid Ahmed Farid Ahmed (pictured) survived the Al Noor mosque shootings but his wife Husne was killed. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Syed Areeb Ahmed A relative shows a picture of Syed Areeb Ahmed, a Pakistani citizen who was killed the Christchurch mosque shooting. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Naeem Rashid A relative looks at a picture on a mobile phone of Pakistani nationals Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem (right) who died in the Christchurch shootings. AFP/Getty Images

Mr Lees-Galloway said the government was seeking to avoid the appearance of striving for “political mileage” from the decision. But the muted roll-out could also help dampen any backlash against the move.

The government made the decision to offer the visas at a Cabinet meeting 15 April. The minister said it took an additional week for the immigration agency to make the necessary preparations.

Mr Lees-Galloway said the government had created a new visa category for those present at the mosques during the 15 March shootings, which left 50 people injured in addition to the 50 killed. Those applying for the permanent resident visas will essentially have their applications rubber-stamped.

Police records will be checked to ensure that the applicant has a legitimate claim. Emergency workers, and those who were on tourist visas or staying in New Zealand for a very short time, will not be eligible. A number of those in the mosques were already permanent residents of New Zealand and do not need immigration help.

Mr Lees-Galloway said that immigration officials would contact those who qualified for the new visas. Survivors of the attacks said Tuesday evening that they had not yet heard from authorities and that word had spread through friends or on social media.

Women in New Zealand wear headscarves to show solidarity with Christchurch shooting victims

One of the survivors, Tofazzal Alam, 26, said that he had struggled to eat and sleep after the attack on the Linwood Mosque and that uncertainty over his visa had compounded the stress.

His permit to stay in the country is tied to his job as a door-to-door salesman – work that Mr Alam, though he was not injured in the attack, said he was no longer able to do.

“I am a people person. I love to meet with different people,” said Mr Alam, who has lived in New Zealand for five years and is married. “But now I feel afraid of strangers. I can only talk to people or meet people whom I know.”

Mr Alam said permanent residence would allow him more freedom to seek an office job where he could encounter mostly the same people every day. He said he did not want to move back to his home country, Bangladesh.

“We have got so much love and respect for this country,” he said. “We have many things to give back.”

One of those shot in the attacks, Azmat Hussein, said the change was “very good news.”

Mr Hussein, a welder who migrated with his family from Fiji on a work visa in 2016, had made an unsuccessful application for permanent residence shortly before the attacks. He had fallen just short on an English language test and was relieved that he would no longer need to meet the standard.

Tuariki Delamere, a former immigration minister who is advising some of those affected by the attacks, praised the decision but said he expected some criticism.

“It wouldn’t surprise me to see a backlash from people against the minister’s decision based on what happened in Sri Lanka,” he said, referring to the deadly terrorist attacks there on Easter Sunday, which a Sri Lankan official said was in retaliation for the Christchurch massacre. “But from New Zealand’s point of view, for our situation, the government made the only sensible and morally right decision.”

Those considered by the immigration agency to be eligible “family” of those at the mosques include parents, dependent children, partners, or parents of partners who were in New Zealand on the day of the attacks. For those under 25, siblings and grandparents living in New Zealand can also receive the visas.

The usual fees of $140 will be waived, and applications, which will be accepted starting Wednesday, will be prioritised over those for other residency permits.