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Justin Sobion said goodbye to his wife in February 2020, with the plan for her to meet him again in New Zealand three weeks later.
Almost 12 months later, the couple are still separated, trapped by the March border closures.
Sobion is one of hundreds of people separated from loved ones because their visa is defined as temporary, although they could be in New Zealand for years.
People with qualified work or student visas cannot leave the country because they will not be able to return.
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However, their spouses, partners and children cannot join them here, even if they lived in New Zealand before closing or were in the process of coming here.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Justin Sobion, a law doctoral student and tutor at the University of Auckland, thought he would be separated from his wife for three weeks. Almost 12 months later, he is still waiting to be allowed to return to New Zealand.
Polina Chernyshova had been in the process of applying for a visa for her partner to join her while she was working on her Ph.D. in Engineering when the borders were closed.
“He cannot come to New Zealand and I cannot go to Russia to see him because if I do, I will not be able to return to continue studying. My scholarship will be canceled and I will lose my job ”.
Immigration attorney Katy Armstrong said the government had set clear priorities over the past year.
“The message has been consistent that there is no room at the inn. But on the one hand you have these people who can’t see their families, on the other hand you have movie stars and TV show producers and athletes who are given exceptions. “
Armstrong said that Immigration was dazzled at the expense of those who were really contributing to New Zealand and the economy.
Immigration New Zealand has been contacted for comment on the number of waivers granted since the closure.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Polina Chernyshova’s partner, a doctoral student at AUT in the engineering department, was in the process of applying for her visa when the shutdown occurred. When the borders were closed, their application process stopped.
Sobion and his wife, Aurelie Sobion, arrived in New Zealand in February 2019 so that he could begin his Juris Doctorate at the University of Auckland.
In December 2019, the couple returned to Switzerland to spend time with Aurelie Sobion’s family.
When Sobion returned to New Zealand in February to fulfill teaching commitments, his wife decided to stay a little longer to spend time with her older grandparents.
But his return flight, just before the borders closed, was canceled.
“When I said goodbye to her, I thought, wow, three weeks apart would be too long,” he said.
Now, Sobion would like clarity on when he could see his wife again.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said in a written response to questions that the government would continue to review immigration settings while ensuring that border controls remained a key first line of defense against the community spread of Covid. -19 in New Zealand.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to give specific timelines for whether or when changes could be possible in various visa categories, while the situation with Covid-19 in many parts of the world remains uncertain and presents serious risks,” the spokesperson said.
It did not respond to questions that sports teams and individuals in the film and television industry had received exemptions to enter.
In September, the government announced that it would allow people with work and student visas to apply for waivers to allow the family to return to New Zealand.
Sobion applied, however, Immigration decided that his wife did not meet all the criteria to return, he said.
After selling everything in Switzerland and spending years planning and applying to do his research, Sobion was reluctant to drop everything and walk away.
He is also frustrated by double standards at the border.
“If the government said, okay, only citizens and permanent residents are allowed in, I would understand,” he said.
“But the moment you start creating exemptions for film crews and cricket crews. It was then that I really started to have a problem. Exemptions have been granted to people who really have nothing to do with New Zealand. “
Sobion, originally from the West Indies, said he was displeased with his national cricket team, which was allowed to enter New Zealand and then violated isolation rules.
Armstrong said he had heard of several cases of students and workers in positions similar to Sobion.
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Immigration attorney Katy Armstrong says the migrants she works with just want some clarity on when they might be reunited with their family.
“This cohort of international students and workers has not seen their families. How do we justify that? “
He said he was working with migrants who were nurses, clinical psychologists and teachers, many with equally highly skilled partners and spouses.
“It’s a kick to the stomach. I have spoken with math teachers, who dared to come here, paid by the government to come here, because we had a shortage, and they have to cheer up every day and teach our children, but we don’t let them see theirs. Armstrong said.
“We have nurses who are thinking of leaving because they cannot bring their families here.”
Armstrong said the government’s lack of information was almost worse than the separation and was causing mental health problems for people who were separated with no end in sight.
None of the migrants he had spoken to expected their families to arrive before citizens, they just wanted to be given the green light to have some certainty about when they could come, he said.
The claim that keeping these families out kept New Zealand protected made no sense, Armstrong said.
“They would still have to isolate themselves.”
