Why a New Born Baby is Battling Immigration New Zealand for Visa

Imagine this: a family makes New Zealand their home, only to face the possibility of their newborn daughter being labelled an illegal immigrant. It's absurd and yet, here we are. According to the latest Immigration news, The Yussupovs, who moved to New Zealand with dreams of a better life, now find themselves tangled in red tape that’s nothing short of a bureaucratic nightmare.

Alisa Yussupov, born five days before her parents and older sister gained residency, is now at risk of becoming an overstayer. She’s a New Zealand-born baby for crying out loud! Her family gained residency less than a week after she was born, but because of the timing, she was only given a one-year temporary visa. Now, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) demands she gets a passport from either Kazakhstan or Russia before they can proceed with her visa application.

It gets worse. Gafur, her father, would need to travel to Singapore to get a Kazakh passport for Alisa, but, wait for it, she can’t travel to Singapore without a passport. So, they turn to Russia, Ekaterina’s home country. But even that’s a mess. Ekaterina needs to renew her own passport before she can start Alisa’s application. And let’s not even start on the wait times for a Dependent Child Resident Visa, which could take up to 11 months. This child’s visa expires in August, and if she’s recorded as an overstayer, it will impact her ability to travel in the future.

INZ claims they’re "aware" of the challenging situation and have explained the steps to the Yussupovs. But explaining a broken process doesn’t fix it. They need to get Alisa’s status regularised under Section 61 of the Immigration Act once she gets a passport. Simple, right? Not if you’re dealing with international bureaucracies that move at a snail’s pace.

Ekaterina’s anxiety is through the roof. The thought that a five-day difference could dictate their daughter’s future is unbearable. She’s been left feeling guilty and stressed, questioning if she did something wrong during her pregnancy to cause Alisa’s early birth. This isn’t just red tape; it’s a knot that’s strangling this family’s peace of mind.

What’s needed here is not just empathy from the INZ but action. Extend Alisa’s temporary visa until the paperwork is sorted. Is that too much to ask? This family has made New Zealand their home, and we should be doing everything to keep it that way. Let’s not let a child’s future hang in the balance because of rigid, inflexible policies. It’s time for a bit of common sense and compassion.

And that's the immigration news in Aotearoa today. Don't forget to hit that subscribe and follow button now to keep up with more immigration content. Ka Kite Ano.