Bochani has been in New Zealand since November when he applied for refugee status after attending a literary festival to speak about his six years in limbo under Australia's hardline immigration policies.

Immigration New Zealand said Bochani's application had been successful, which means he has the right to stay in the South Pacific nation indefinitely.

"Mr. Bochani has been recognized as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol," Fiona Whiteridge from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) told Reuters in a brief statement, refusing to release further details on privacy grounds.

Reports said the decision was relayed to the author on Thursday, his 37th birthday.

“For legal and privacy reasons, INZ is unable to provide any further comment,” Whiteridge added.

Bochani did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The University of Canterbury said in a statement that Boochani will become a senior adjunct research fellow at the institute.

Bochani was held on Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Manus Island after being plucked from a refugee boat on its way to Australia in 2013.

He described his journey and the conditions in detention in his book, “No Friends but the Mountains”, written on his phone and sent via Whatsapp to a publisher in Australia. The book won one of Australia’s top literary prizes this year.

The Green Party, a coalition partner in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government, welcomed the news.

“Today we celebrate New Zealand as a place where fairness and compassion prevails”, spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said.

Asylum seekers intercepted at sea by Australian authorities are sent to Manus or the South Pacific island of Nauru, where many have languished for years. They are permanently barred from settling in Australia.

New Zealand’s Ardern has made a longstanding offer to take 150 asylum seekers from Australia’s offshore camps, but the Australian government has not taken up the request.

Amnesty International New Zealand said it was time for Australia to accept New Zealand’s offer.

“Hundreds of people are still being held against their will in Australia, PNG and Nauru. Enough is enough,” said Meg de Ronde, Executive Director of Amnesty International New Zealand.

Reporter’s code; 50101