Auckland University professor Michael Witbrock and Levin businessman David Higgs are fighting the Government's stance on overseas visa applications during the pandemic. They say Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi's decision to suspend and then cancel visa applications have breached New Zealand's international obligations. New Zealanders with overseas partners must have lived together before being eligible for partnership visas - not easy before the pandemic, but harder and riskier now. For Higgs, work commitments in New Zealand have been compounded by a respiratory illness last year and diabetes which stopped him from going back to Indonesia. A crowdfunding appeal had of yesterday afternoon raised $48,000 of a $50,000 legal fund to fight the court case.

Source: Stuff December 08, 2021 03:04 UTC