Delamere separates fact from fiction

Immigration Minister, Hon Tuariki Delamere, today commented "reluctantly" on the case of an 18 year old Fijian woman living in Hamilton.

"I do not make a habit of commenting on any of the hundreds of immigration cases that cross my desk every week, but I am concerned that this case has been reported so selectively and inaccurately that the public is being seriously misled," he said.

"In today’s edition of the New Zealand Herald, reporter Melissa Moxon claims the Immigration Service is about to ‘deport’ an 18-year old Fijian woman who has been studying in Hamilton.

"This information is not correct.

"The woman is in New Zealand on a valid Student Permit with the option of seeking a renewal. Any application for a new permit made by the woman would be considered on its merits and a decision made after all factors have been taken into account.

"Should the woman choose not to apply for a new permit, or should her application for a new permit be declined, she must leave New Zealand before her current permit expires. Remaining in New Zealand without a valid permit would make her liable to the same removal proceedings which apply to anyone unlawfully in New Zealand.

"The Labour MP, Dianne Yates, is now exploiting this young woman's troubles and shedding crocodile tears over them for her own shabby political purposes.

"The facts are that the woman acknowledges her family back in Fiji still support her; there are perfectly adequate educational facilities in her own country; and I fail to see why the New Zealand taxpayer should have to meet all the costs associated with granting her residency in New Zealand when she has a family and a country to return to.

"The dispute that has arisen involving the young woman, her New Zealand-based family and Waikato Hospital has nothing to do with the Immigration Service. It is the job of the Service to apply the laws as they stand and that is exactly what is happening here," said the Minister.

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