Partners of temporary visa holders in New Zealand are facing the maximum brunt of border closure as Immigration New Zealand approved only 12.70 per cent of all applications to enter the country.
This was revealed to the Indian Weekender by the Immigration NZ in response to a separate query regarding requests for exception by partners seeking to join their NZ based partners.
According to the data obtained by the Indian Weekender, the INZ as of November 24, 2020, had received a total of 10,424 applications for exceptions from partners of temporary visa holders (who are presently in NZ) – which was 17.74 per cent of the total requests received under different categories.
NZ borders are currently closed with only citizens, residents, and a very selected category of non-citizens being allowed in the country and INZ has received a total of around 58,760 applications to get an exception from border closure.
Of which the INZ has approved only 1324 applications, rejecting a whopping 85.90 per cent of all applications under the category of "partner of temporary visa holders."
A protestor in front of New Zealand Parliament in Wellington
This is indeed of much concern to many thousands of temporary migrants who have been living in the country for last many years and had plans to live for quite some time in the country.
Manjeet Singh, a work visa holder, is separated from his newly married wife for almost a year and frustrated with INZ's arbitrary approach in dealing with the partners of temporary visa holders.
"I have lived, studied and worked in this country for the last six years and I surely deserve better than this from Immigration New Zealand and the government," Manjeet said.
"The government and its Ministers repeatedly make the claims that they are working to unite the separated families together."
A protestor in front of New Zealand Parliament in Wellington
"But nothing is changing for us temporary visa holders when it comes to being able to join with our better-halves," Manjeet said exasperatingly.
Manjeet arrived in New Zealand in 2014 on a student visa to study Level 7 course Graduate Diploma in Business.
Since then, he has been on different work visas working his way towards residency – a pathway long advertised by Immigration New Zealand in overseas market to get both international students and skilled workforce.
Manjeet had returned India for the first time in January this year to get married in a traditional manner in the presence of family and friends before returning back in March and applying for his wife's visa with INZ.
However, Manjit was shocked to know that his perfectly socially and legally-recognisable-traditional- Indian marriage would not be enough to meet Immigration instructions for a partnership visa.
"I was advised to apply for General Visitor Visa based on relationship, which we did in April, but sadly INZ is not processing it at the moment because of border closure," Manjit said frustratingly.
A protestor in front of New Zealand Parliament in Wellington
Notably, partnership/relationships based on traditional Indian marriages have been experiencing significant problems while negotiating with the immigration system, particularly in the last few years – purely for the absence of clear immigration instructions.
The Covid related border closure and the government's successive decisions around "partnership visa" and the manner of processing of such visas under the current border closure regime have further complicated the issue.
In September, the government had announced re-opening of processing of partnership visas - first from visa waiver countries - and then from non-visa waiver countries that heightened the hopes of thousands of families facing separation across the closed borders.
The rate of rejection of the request for an exception to enter NZ has been much higher (for partners of Kiwi citizens and residents more than half applications were declined and for partners of temp visa holders 85.90 per cent applications were declined) than those approved.
In Hamilton
Clearly, partners and families of temporary visa holders (who were ordinarily resident in the country) are facing the maximum brunt of current border closure regime.
However, the lowest in INZ's and the government's priority at the moment, are the partnerships and relationships based on traditional Indian and broader South Asian marriages.
It is because as per current immigration instructions majority of such marriages does not have "living together" evidence before actual marriage and hence does not qualify for a "partnership-visa."
The issue flared up in May 2019 under the first term of Labour government, when despite government's boastful claim of intervention in the form of making changed in "culturally arranged marriage visa category," the INZ has returned back to status quo – whereby issuing "General Visitor Visa based on relationship."
Under current border restrictions the "General Visitor Visa based on relationship" is not considered as "partnership visa" – despite governments and Minister's boastful claims made in media – and hence not even being processed.
Thereby, leaving a large queue of visa hopefuls, who have been waiting patiently to eventually join their partners who are currently in New Zealand - despondent and frustrated.
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