4 days ago
Traumatised German woman who found 'real love and care' in NZ allowed to stay
By Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter of
Photo:
Mongkol Chuewong
A German woman with post-traumatic stress disorder found "real love and care" for the first time in New Zealand.
Now she will be allowed to stay here, at least for now, after a tribunal blocked her possible deportation following the expiry of her visa.
The 33-year-old woman left Germany 10 years ago, arrived in New Zealand in 2020, and has been here unlawfully without a visa since September last year.
Although she has qualifications in hospitality management and has been studying towards becoming a community support worker, her application to renew a work visa was turned down in August 2024.
She has been liable for deportation since her visa ran out.
In that time, she started a relationship with a New Zealand citizen.
The Immigration and Protection Tribunal said that although they had been a couple for only five months, they had been friends for longer and were in a "genuine relationship".
"If the appellant cannot remain in New Zealand, this will likely result in the couple being separated," according to a recent tribunal decision.
"The tribunal accepts that the appellant's deportation will cause significant difficulty and distress for her, as she will be deprived of her partner, who is currently her key support figure."
The woman's name was redacted from the published version of the tribunal decision.
The tribunal said it had received 20 letters of support in the woman's favour.
The decision said that the woman suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) arising from things that happened to her in Germany.
"The only connection she associates with her home country, Germany, is the past trauma she experienced there," it said.
Although her immediate family remained in Germany, she had no functional family relationships there and no meaningful connections.
"The appellant states that she is anxious and distressed at the possibility of returning to Germany.
"She writes that without a family that cares, or friends, she would not survive there as she has no reason to live there.
"She also fears reliving painful memories of her past," the tribunal said.
"The appellant writes that before arriving in New Zealand, she had never known 'real love and care'."
It said that apart from her CPTSD, for which she is still receiving counselling, the woman had an acceptable standard of health and a clean record.
It found there were "exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature" making it unjust or unduly harsh for the woman to be deported.
The tribunal ordered that the woman be given a work visa for 12 months, which would allow her time to continue her therapy and work towards a partnership-based application for residence.
- This story originally appeared in the
New Zealand Herald
.
