A change has been made to heath requirements for dependent children of people who hold work, student or military visas.
It’s hoped the stronger requirements for children of temporary visa holders will help ease pressure on our education system.
At the same time, there are hopes families of children with severe cognitive or developmental disabilities and require significant support will gain a more realistic picture of their future here — before they invest all they have in a move to New Zealand.
This week the new policy came into effect that means children with severe cognitive or developmental disorders, who are children of temporary visa holders (such as work and student visas) and who may otherwise have been eligible for a visitor or student visa, won’t be.
It’s hoped the changes will help ease pressure on our education system and give families a more realistic picture of their future here. (Source: 1News)
It did not apply to a child who was accompanying a parent who was coming here as a short term tourist on a visitor visa.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said there’s been a spike in enrolments in recent years of children of temporary migrants in schools that had resulted in an increase of children with very high learning needs.
“This has put significant strain on an already oversubscribed learning support system, preventing other children from getting the support they need,” she said.
In turn, she said the change, which brought the health requirement in line with that required for residency, should give parents greater clarity around the likelihood of any long-term stay in New Zealand.
“The current system allows a family with a child with significant additional needs to be granted a temporary visa and become settled in New Zealand — only for them to discover they are not eligible for residency.
“Our immigration system must balance creating opportunities for people to come here and make a meaningful contribution, but also protect New Zealanders’ rights to work and thrive.
“Aligning the health settings across these visas provides more clarity in our immigration system, as well as ensuring those currently in the education system receive the additional support they need.”
For the Ali family, clarity is something they wished they’d had prior to leaving their home nation of Fiji, although they feel the policy unfairly reduces them to being a burden.
It’s hoped the changes for temporary visa holders will ease pressure on the education system, and provide families a more realistic picture of their future here. (Source: Breakfast)
Their youngest son, Rayyan Ali, 15, has epilepsy and learning difficulties, which has seen immigration authorities decline his application for a student visa on the basis his health did not meet the acceptable standards of health — and would require significant support.
His father, Ashim Ali, said while they were always honest about their son’s condition, they had no idea it would have repercussions for their future prospects.
So far, immigration authorities have upheld the decision not to grant his son a visa. The family is now waiting on a last plea to the Associate Minister of Immigration.
“We both are working parents, we pay our taxes, we pay our bills,” Ali said. “And my daughter has been enrolled in the Bachelor of Education, so she’s going to be a teacher in the future.”
But if the decision does not go their way, they may be forced to leave. Oldest daughter, Sharia Ali is now facing the prospect of staying behind, just so she can support her family.
“The worst case scenario is that he and my parents would leave the country. And I would try and stay back and support them.”
It’s a potential reality she described as “scary”.
“I’ve only started working this year. I’ve never been alone. We’ve always been together.”
Lane Neave immigration partner Rachael Mason said policies like these are always hard on those who are affected, but still she believes it strikes the right balance of bringing high-skilled workers in, alongside humanitarian considerations, without putting undue pressure on New Zealand.
“There’s always going to be people that are hurt by a policy like this. But at least we have the option of a medical waiver, so there is a chance for some of those more holistic factors, whether they’re economic or humanitarian to be considered.”
