Latest news with #ImmigrationNewZealand
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Deportation threat: 7-year-old Joshua Meets' fight to stay in New Zealand
The thought of having to leave everything they've built keeps them going in their years-long fight. 'This turned me into a world-class hurdler because I'm just jumping from one hoop to another,' she said. 'It's not a Kiwi thing to do. It's such an accepting society, but then we get pushed to the side for having a kid with special needs.' Joshua Meets had his visa denied by Immigration NZ because of his rare form of epilepsy. 'This is home and this is life' The Meets family had contributed to vital gaps in the workforce and community in the years they had been on Kiwi soil, Ingrid Meets said. She is a commerce and social studies teacher at Mahurangi College, and her husband is an apprentice builder. If Joshua were to return to South Africa, it would significantly harm his well-being and his quality of education, she said. 'New Zealand just means freedom for my family. 'It just gives us all a new life, the boys can excell and they won't be discriminated against. We are safe.' Her three boys, Matthew, Joshua, and Daniel, have lived in New Zealand longer than they lived in South Africa. 'They've got no connection to South Africa. 'Although we are a South African family and we still speak Afrikaans, they started schooling here, and they have their friends here. 'This is home and this is life for them.' Meets said she never imagined that she would have to become an advocate. 'When the system remains silent, I can't stay quiet. 'I am Joshua's voice, but also a voice for all the other families facing this bureaucratic nightmare.' A Givealittle page and a petition have been set up to aid the family in their fight. The fight against deportation Joshua's family kicked off their time in New Zealand after they were all given three-year visas to enter the country in 2020 without any issues. They said they did not know the severity of their son's condition on their arrival. He was just 2 when they were granted visas, and he was seizure-free after being weaned off his seizure medication. After two years in New Zealand, he was diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. In 2022, the family applied for the 2021 Resident Visa, a pathway to residence for certain temporary visa holders affected by Covid-19 and border closures. Meets said Immigration New Zealand deemed Joshua was not of an acceptable standard of health and was not eligible for a waiver. After multiple letters of concern, the residence visa application was officially declined. In March 2024, they appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, which weighed up the case and found there were special circumstances that favoured the family staying. The case was sent to the Minister for Immigration to make the final decision, but Associate Minister Chris Penk declined their appeal. Erica Stanford, the Minister of Immigration, also declined the appeal. Since then, the rest of Joshua's family have been given valid visas that will allow them to stay in New Zealand until 2029. Joshua's application for a new visa was declined, and his current one expired this month, so now his family must make a final appeal on humanitarian grounds. This decision will be made by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, rather than the minister, Meets said. Joshua Meet's student visa application was declined after law changes. What can they do? Meets said they were well within their rights to appeal the deportation decision on humanitarian grounds. 'We have handed in our appeal document, and we've got 42 days to complete, get proof and get support letters and build a case that we can now present.' The appeal goes to the Immigration Protection Tribunal – now the family's second round of dealing with it. 'We had such a good outcome the first time, and they said that our case definitely held merit and special circumstances, and even with that then we still got the decline.' She said that with this appeal, the tribunal would make the final decision, and it did not need to be referred back to a minister, which might improve their chances. Joshua Meets has a complex seizure disorder, developmental delay and is non-verbal, so he attends a special school. 'I understand that immigration is a policy,' Meets said. 'But I think there should be a more humane or humanitarian side to it. You can't judge people just on a tick-box system. 'Let's say it was an easy ride for us and we get residency, and myself or one of the boys gets in an accident and then they need special schooling. They won't be seen as a burden on the system. 'It's just a timing issue. The Government knows what they're going to expect with Joshua. So why is he being called a burden on the system? 'If they accept me to come for a very important role in being a teacher and being able to be good enough to teach Kiwi kids, then my kids should also be accepted in society just like any other normal kid,' Meets said. Joshua Meets had his visa denied by Immigration New Zealand due to his rare form of epilepsy. Photo / Supplied The family's life has been put on pause as they wait for a final decision. 'Once you lodge the appeal, it takes quite a while. 'That appeal might take another six to nine months for the final decision. But it does mean that we live on a very high nervous system during that time because it just feels like there's no finality. 'We can't save money for a house deposit. We can't plan for our future.' Acceptable Standard of Health policy The Meets family are urgently calling for an exemption to New Zealand's Acceptable Standard of Health (Ash) policy, which they deem to be discriminatory. 'We call for the end of the discriminatory Ash policy, which unfairly penalises migrants and refugees with disabilities or medical conditions and their families, breaching New Zealand's international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD),' the family said on their petition. Stanford said the Government strengthened the health requirements for dependent children of people on temporary visas to ensure more consistency in the immigration system from March this year. 'In recent years, a spike in enrolments of children of temporary migrants in our schools has resulted in an increase in children from this cohort with very high learning needs,' Stanford said. 'This has put significant strain on an already oversubscribed learning support system, preventing other children from getting the support they need.' Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Programme helping those settling in
New people are essential to filling all roles needed in Central Otago's ever-expanding work force but settling in to a new place is often difficult, making newcomers hard to retain. Central Otago District Council community and engagement manager Paula Penno said Welcoming Communities was a programme led by Immigration New Zealand in partnership with the Human Rights Commission. It was so successful that after the government funding ran out the council agreed in the 2024-25 annual plan to extend the programme for a further two years. The council approached Central Lakes Trust for support and received $16,000 — 20% of the programme cost of $80,000 per year which included a part-time paid position, Ms Penno said. Welcoming Communities officer Heather Harries said her part-time role worked well alongside her other role as an ESOL teacher with Reap. Helping people feel part of the community led to better outcomes for the newcomers and the rest of society, she said. Most newcomers in Central Otago arrived from somewhere else in New Zealand. Some were from overseas and needed assistance with residency and visas and others needed to find their place in the community. Challenges included finding accommodation and then travelling to work given the lack of public transport in the region. A lack of childcare options often meant a family could only have one parent working which led to unanticipated financial pressures, Ms Harries said. One family she had worked with were struggling as the father had to pass an academic English exam but his wife was working 5pm to 10pm, so instead of attending his English lessons he was minding the children. With few contacts in the community and no family around those were traps people found themselves in, she said. "Creating networks and connections between the families, schools, employers, and support networks is crucial in guiding the families through the settlement process." Other newcomers were older Kiwis from other parts of the country and remote workers. They sometimes found it difficult trying to make friends in a new community without the easy introductions that came with meeting people through work or having children at school. The ultimate aim of Welcoming Communities was that it would be self-supporting and not need a paid leader, Ms Harries said. However, volunteers came and went as their circumstances changed and they settled into their new lives, so someone was needed to keep the momentum going. A wide range of activities were organised by the group, from international potluck meals, sporting events, evening drinks, walking groups and a women's swimming group. Ms Harries said she identified with newcomers as she had moved to Central Otago more than six years ago and found things difficult initially. "As an ESOL teacher I realised everything I felt was magnified. I had New Zealand residency... a government department rejecting an application feels like a personal rejection but it's just them doing their job." Moving from Mumbai, in India, to Cromwell seven years ago brought many surprises for Mamta Nerurkar. From finding familiar food to much more limited shopping options and no public transport were some of the things she had to adjust to, along with very short days in winter and long ones in summer. Meeting other mums and families through Welcoming Communities and other community groups had made the transition easier, she said.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Seven millenia visa in Chathams, plane offload and deportation threat
Robbie Lanauze, Nadja van Osch and their three children while they were living in Spain Photo: Supplied A Chatham Islands-bound family says their four-year immigration battle has left them in a "bureaucratic hamster wheel". New Zealander Robbie Lanauze and his Dutch wife Nadja van Osch have waited more than four years for her visa. The father-of-three, who was born on Pitt Island, said the first visa showed no criteria for when they had to arrive in the country. A second residence visa showed her visa would expire in the year 9999. She was then threatened with deportation and that was only resolved last week. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) admits the second residence visa was granted in error but maintains the first one correctly set out the visa information. The couple had been overseas and travelling before deciding they would settle in the Chathams with their three children, near to Lanauze's mother, brother and his family. "We'd wanted to build a house for quite a while and we had the land sorted. We had everything sorted, ready to go. We wanted to live in the Chathams and maybe partly in Indonesia as well. But everything's sort of been up in the air for the last few years to be very honest." Paperwork was hard to find as partnership residence visas need proof such as joint utility bills which they struggled to find, but eventually got the visa. "We sent this passport to London. It got verified, they sent it back. And we assumed that that was what was needed to activate the partners residence visa. We had the letter printed out to show that she was allowed in New Zealand. And then they said no, sorry, you're not allowed to board this flight because you don't have a visa." A screengrab of the visa granted through to the year 9999. Photo: Supplied They were told van Osch was three days past the date when the visa had to be used - 12 months after it was issued. They maintain they were never told that criteria, and there was a missing attachment in an email they were sent. RNZ has seen a copy of the email. "We did everything in our corner to adhere to the rules and regulations, but unfortunately it was, I'm guessing, a technical glitch or just a a clerical error of some description and we never got that information. "I'm just going to keep rattling everyone's cage and pull every trigger I can and just keep doing a song and dance until someone with authority can actually look at the case and go, 'OK, there was a mistake made, we never sent you that email attachment, this is a fault from our department and no fault of your own, sorry, here's your visa.' And then we can carry on our merry way." They were told to apply for a second or subsequent resident visa (SSRV) but that was also a mistake. "The lady on the phone explicitly said to us - I spoke to her in depth many, many times and I said look we want her to be able to work, live and study in New Zealand indefinitely, we have three children. We want to build a home and if we're going to put our money into a house in New Zealand, my wife needs to be able to confidently put her life savings into an investment in the island where she knows that she's not going to get kicked out of the country or her time will run short. "She said that the second and subsequent visa gave exactly all the same conditions and it meant the same thing, which we were like, OK, cool. We took her word for it, which was silly. We should have got it in writing." It looked on the face of it as though they had been given a permanent residence visa - for an unusually long period of time. "The visa said congratulations, you can work live and study in New Zealand until the year 9999 and I thought 'oh wow OK, no one's going to be around by then, but amazing. And we just thought it was just the way they do things. So we thought we had the same conditions and everything was sweet until we got a letter from immigration Resolutions saying that we are liable for deportation because of a clerical error." INZ has now quashed the threat of deportation, saying it made a mistake, but maintains it made no error with the first visa. "We understand that the possibility of deportation can be stressful, and we empathise with Ms van Osch and her family," said its acting director of visas Marcelle Foley. "We can confirm that Ms van Osch's deportation case was considered by a Delegated Decision Maker for the Minister of Immigration (DDM) this morning. The DDM has cancelled Ms van Osch's deportation liability, and a decision letter has been sent to Ms van Osch to notify her of this outcome." She became liable for deportation as her visa was granted 'in breach of immigration instructions'. Foley said her first residence visa granted in November 2022 clearly outlined the conditions of the visa including the latest date she could arrive, and its expiry two years later. It's left a bitter taste for Lanauze, who said a family-of-five was a major addition to the small Chathams community of 600, especially as his wife's skills as a therapist are in demand. "We've spent thousands on this. We just really do need to go back and hold them accountable for the first error, which was them not giving us the information about entering New Zealand within the 12 months. No-one looked at our case, we just seem to be knocking our heads against the wall and going around in circles and getting handballed from person to person. "I'm no stranger to paperwork in different countries, getting stuff translated, dealing with bureaucrats and all that sort of stuff, but I have to say, dealing with Immigration New Zealand has been an absolute nightmare. I don't want to like get too worked up about it, but I wish I could just walk in there and crack some heads."
NDTV
21-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Want To Live And Work In New Zealand? A Visitor Visa Can Help You Do That For Rs 22,000
If you've ever dreamt of working remotely with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains or a quiet lake surrounded by sheep, New Zealand may now be your next workstation. While there's no official "digital nomad" visa, recent updates to the country's visitor visa make it possible for remote workers to live temporarily in New Zealand - without switching jobs. What You Should Know New Zealand has recently confirmed that remote work is permitted under its existing visitor visa - provided you're working for an overseas employer or client. That means freelancers, tech professionals, consultants, and creators who are earning from outside New Zealand can continue working during their stay. The Dos And Don'ts You must not work for a New Zealand-based employer You cannot provide goods or services to clients or businesses based in New Zealand Your reason for visiting should still be tourism, visiting friends or family, or short-term personal travel You may continue your remote work only as a secondary activity, not the main reason for your visit Length of stay allowed Depending on your visa type: * You can stay up to 6 months with a multiple-entry visa * Or up to 9 months with a single-entry visa * You can also study for up to 3 months during your visit If you're from a visa-waiver country, you may not need a full visa, just an NZeTA - which is cheaper and faster to get. How To Apply For A Visitor Visa To New Zealand The process is straightforward and can be done online through the Immigration New Zealand website. Here's what you'll need to apply: 1. Valid passport 2. Proof of onward travel - such as return tickets or a full itinerary 3. Proof of funds - You must show you have at least NZD 1,000 per month (approx. Rs 51,400), or NZD 400 (Rs 20,560) per month if your accommodation is already paid for 4. Completed online application form 5. Health and character checks Medical certificates might be needed if you plan to stay longer than six months 6. Pay the required visa fee and tourism levy Visitor visa price in Indian Rupees (as of July 2025) * Standard visitor visa application fee: Rs 22,655 * International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL): NZD 100: Rs 5,140 * Total (visa + levy): approx. Rs 27,795 If you're from a visa waiver country: * NZeTA (app fee): Rs 874 * NZeTA (website fee): Rs 1,182 * IVL included: Rs 5,140 * Total (NZeTA + IVL): Rs 6,014 to Rs 6,322 Documents are submitted online, and most applications are processed in 2 to 3.5 weeks. Indian passport holders must apply for the visitor visa (not NZeTA), while travellers from countries like the US, UK, Singapore or Germany may be eligible for the NZeTA route. Conditions Once You're In New Zealand * Remote work is permitted but cannot be your main reason for visiting * No local employment or providing services to New Zealand-based clients * You can travel in and out of the country during the visa's validity (if you have a multiple-entry visa) * You must hold enough funds to support yourself throughout the stay * You can take short-term courses for up to 3 months New Zealand is increasingly targeting high-value, skilled tourists - including digital nomads who spend more and stay longer. By allowing remote work within limits, they're encouraging global talent to explore the country without competing in the local job market. Bottom Line You don't need a fancy new visa to work remotely from New Zealand. All it takes is a visitor visa, a few documents, and around Rs 22,000 to Rs 27,000. You'll be free to explore the country's landscapes - and meet your deadlines - all in one trip.
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Business Standard
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
New Zealand: Indian students can work 25 hours/week under new visa rules
Indians studying in New Zealand or planning to head there soon have reason to be optimistic. On July 14, 2025, the New Zealand government unveiled its new International Education Going for Growth Plan, which will tweak immigration rules to attract more international students, while keeping academic quality and immigration compliance intact. As part of this plan, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will implement several visa-related changes from November 3, 2025. Students can work up to 25 hours a week Currently, international students can work up to 20 hours a week during term time. That cap will now increase to 25 hours for eligible tertiary and secondary school students. The new 25-hour limit will apply automatically to all new student visas granted from November 3, even if the application was submitted before the rule came into effect. But those holding existing student visas will need to either apply for a variation of conditions or a new visa to take advantage of the extra five hours. School students in Years 12 and 13 will still need written permission from both a parent and their school to work these hours. Notably, many student visas already allow full-time work during official breaks and holidays. If this applies, students can wait until after the summer break to apply for the extra in-study work hours—so long as their current visa remains valid. There are currently 40,987 student visa holders in New Zealand with in-study work rights: < 29,790 visas expire on or before March 31, 2026 < 11,197 visas expire after that Not everyone is expected to apply for the additional five hours. Some students may be close to completing their studies, while others may prefer to wait until their next visa renewal to add the change and avoid extra fees. Broader work rights for exchange and Study Abroad students From November, all tertiary-level students on approved exchange or Study Abroad programmes will also be eligible for in-study work rights. This includes even short-term enrolments such as one-semester courses. Until now, these rights were more limited and depended on specific course types or lengths. Change in institution or course level? Apply again INZ also clarified that students will now need to apply for a new visa, not just a variation of conditions, if they decide to change their education provider or lower the level of their study. This move brings greater regulatory certainty and ensures that visa conditions reflect a student's most current enrolment. Surge in Indian enrolments New Zealand has been gaining traction among Indian students over the past year. According to New Zealand Education, international student enrolments from India rose 34% in the January–August 2024 period, reaching 10,640. That's up from 7,930 in the entire 2023 calendar year. 'New Zealand is steadily gaining significance as a preferred alternate study destination over the 'Big Four' countries,' Piyush Kumar, regional director for South Asia, Canada and Latin America at IDP Education told Business Standard. He added, 'Our IDP data also reflects this, with the number of female student enrolments doubling over the same timeframe. This growth can be attributed to its student-first policies and supportive, holistic education system.' Kumar pointed out that the government's decision to exempt Indian degree holders from qualification assessment and simplify the skilled migration route had added to the country's appeal. Strong university rankings bolster appeal All eight of New Zealand's universities are featured in the QS World University Rankings 2026: University of Auckland (#65) University of Otago (#197) Massey University (#230) Victoria University of Wellington (#240) University of Canterbury (#261) University of Waikato (#281) Lincoln University (#407) Auckland University of Technology (AUT) (#410) 'With its welcoming and supportive policies, as well as clear pathways for studying and working, New Zealand is quickly becoming an attractive option. Moreover, all eight New Zealand universities rank amongst the top 500 in the QS World University Rankings 2026,' said Kumar.
