Covid 19 coronavirus: petition for the government to allow the return of temporary visa holders

A postgraduate work visa holder trapped in India is calling on the government to ease restrictions on temporary visas saying he is “running out of money and hopeless.”

Jijin Varghese, 29, returned to India on March 8 to celebrate her arranged marriage on March 18, just before the border was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The former Rotorua Caltex pump worker believes he and other temporary visa holders will also be able to help with New Zealand’s labor shortage.

New Zealand will face a severe labor shortage, especially in popular holiday destinations as summer approaches.

Varghese left New Zealand with a friend who also had to return to India for the first anniversary of his father’s death, and the two have not been able to return since.

“I left New Zealand with the plan to be only two months, all my personal belongings, including my car, are still in New Zealand,” he said.

“I have no income, but I still have to pay for insurance and other things in New Zealand for the last seven months.”

Varghese said he and his friend are among thousands of temporary visa holders with the same history, many of whom suffered from depression and mental health problems.

“Every morning we review the news from New Zealand in the hope that the borders will reopen for post-study work visa holders, but there has been no good news,” he said.

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi was contacted for comment.

“We are suffering through no fault of our own and the New Zealand government shows us no mercy … I am running out of money and hopeless,” Varghese said.

Varghese holds a three-year post-study work visa after graduating from the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua.

The government has recently relaxed restrictions to allow holiday and work visa holders to extend their stay and work in the horticulture and viticulture industries.

An additional seasonal employment visa will be automatically granted to those with work and vacation visas that expire between November 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

The border has also been opened to hundreds of skilled workers, including veterinarians, deep-sea fishing crews, and agricultural and horticultural mobile plant operators.

However, the easing did not include the return of temporary visa holders. The hospitality and construction industries are not included either.

The New Zealand border is currently closed to all but New Zealand citizens and residents, with some exemptions.

More than 50,000 New Zealanders have returned home this year since the global pandemic began.