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Some are drinking champagne, others have thousands of dollars in their pocket.
But for many Kiwis alienated from their overseas partners, the changes to the Covid-19 border entry requirements are simply an extension of their misery.
After months of having the country’s borders locked up, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi delivered news that many beloved Kiwis have been waiting for so long: Your foreign partners can join you in New Zealand’s little Covid-19 bubble.
But there is a catch: who can enter is determined by their place of origin.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / THINGS
Marianna Tomarelli and Leon von de Vril are thousands of miles apart despite being married for the past two years.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: changes in the border exception rule will reunite some families divided by Covid-19
* Coronavirus: Trans-Tasman hearts breaking in the wake of border closure
* Coronavirus: New Zealander heads to Japan to bring her husband home
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Auckland nurse Peta Cooke burst into tears after learning of the changes to Covid-19 border restrictions. Because her fiancé Cameron Read is in South Africa, a country that is not on the visa waiver list, the couple will remain separated.
Kiwis whose partners have been stranded in visa-exempt countries, including Australia, are among the biggest benefactors of Wednesday’s announcements, as well as those on resident visas.
For New Zealanders like Peta Cooke, who has been separated from her South African fiancé for 10 months, the changes announced by Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi unleashed a wave of contrasting emotions.
However, the most dominant feeling was anguish.
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New Zealander Peta Cooke is desperate to reunite with her South African fiancé Cameron Read.
“I immediately burst into tears,” said the Auckland nurse.
“I was so happy and relieved for so many people that this does help, but for many of us, whose partners are not from visa-free countries, we are still in the same situation. We still have no idea when we will see our partners again and when we can possibly meet, ”Cooke lamented.
Australian Janice Gourley was “shocked”, and was finally able to re-establish herself with her New Zealand husband Richard after months of confusion.
In non-Covid times, Australian citizens and residents can generally live, work, and study in New Zealand without needing to apply for a visa before traveling here.
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Australian Janice Gourley will be able to move in with her New Zealand husband Richard after months of struggling with Covid-19 border restrictions.
Starting in early October, Gourley will be able to apply for a border exception to enter New Zealand and once accepted, you will automatically be issued a critical purpose visitor visa and granted a resident visa upon arrival.
“It means that I can travel normally back to New Zealand, and the relief that we can start to make real plans because we were moving back, and he moved on and that’s where it all went terribly wrong,” Gourley said.
Members from visa-exempt countries and their children who receive a border exception will be invited to apply for a six-month critical purpose visitor visa, and those who want to stay longer can apply for another visa.
Monique Ford / Stuff
Wendy Harnett is in managed isolation with her husband Koji Arihisa after Wellington’s wife made the trip to Tokyo to get him back, a trip that, starting in October, will no longer be necessary.
The policy changes came too late for Wellington’s wife, Wendy Harnett.
She spent around $ 8,000 to bring her husband Koji Arihisa from Japan, after being repeatedly turned away by immigration officials to allow Arihisa to enter New Zealand of her own free will.
The couple have just completed their third day of Covid-19 testing at the M Social managed isolation hotel in Auckland and its launch is scheduled for September 20.
As Japan is one of 61 visa-exempt countries, a trip like Harnett’s was no longer necessary.
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Wendy Harnett and her Japanese husband Koji Arihisa just underwent COVID-19 testing on the third day at their managed isolation hotel in Auckland.
Despite the cost, Harnett has no regrets about making the trip, but is sorry for other members of a Facebook group created to support Kiwis with partners stranded abroad who have never had a choice.
“I am very happy that there has finally been some movement. It is long overdue. But it also breaks my heart for other people in our group who are still waiting for God knows how long, ”Harnett said.
The government is also putting a lifeline on new residents who are stuck abroad, as they can maintain their residency status while border restrictions are maintained.
RICKY WILSON / THINGS
South African families who were ready to emigrate to New Zealand have been separated by Covid-19, and what they say is the New Zealand government’s unwillingness to allow a crucial charter flight to land.
Currently, resident visa holders must travel to New Zealand within a specified time frame to activate their visa, a requirement they have not been able to meet with the border closures.
Those with expiring travel conditions will receive a 12-month extension to travel to New Zealand, while those with travel conditions that expired on or after February 2, 2020, will receive a new one-year visa.
The Government has also cleared the way for some foreign agricultural workers to return to New Zealand under a new category of border exceptions.
Workers who will be eligible for the exception would need to have strong and ongoing ties to New Zealand and must have kept their jobs.
Faafoi said the government was able to make adjustments to immigration environments that would allow a small number of people who already had the right to come to New Zealand to return.
