Policy hits Indian community harder
The message from New Zealand First MP Shane Jones to members of the Indian community disgruntled with immigration policy changes – get on the first plane home if you’re not happy.
A change in approach by immigration officials to partnership visas means Indians in particular are having a much harder time bringing their spouses to New Zealand.
A representative of the Indian community said they were not trying to ‘‘bring over the whole village’’, but it was not unreasonable to expect to be able to have your spouse live with you in the same country.
There has been a specific government directive to stop waiving requirements such as couples needing to have lived together for 12 months – a test Indian couples who have had arranged marriages can’t meet.
It was unbelievable Immigration NZ did not understand the cultural differences at play, and it felt like Indians were being punished.
‘‘It’s not like Kiwi culture where you live together for three, four or five years and then get married – it doesn’t work like that in India. I’m surprised that Immigration [NZ] has failed to understand that after all these years.’’
There were a ‘‘significant’’ number of Kiwi-Indians affected because arranged marriages were so common. ‘‘Lot of times our Indian fellows, members, they don’t know who they’re going to get married [to], quite often they go there for two to three months, they find someone suitable and before they get married they don’t live together, they don’t hold hands, they don’t kiss or anything – they get married and married life starts after that.’’
Talking about a more recent change to parent category visa at the weekend, Jones told RNZ he was saddened by the ‘‘levels of verbiage that the Indian communal leadership have thrown at the party’’.
‘‘I would just say to the activists from the Indian community, tame down your rhetoric, you have no legitimate expectations in my view to bring your whole village to New Zealand and if you don’t like it and you’re threatening to go home – catch the next flight home.’’
Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was happy to take the credit for a tougher approach to partnership visas.
‘‘Has New Zealand First had an influence on trying to tidy up the quality of information on which the immigration department relies?
‘‘The yes.’’
It was simple, he said, you’re either a partner under New Zealand law, or you’re not.
‘‘It’s clear as daylight – they’re not partners – full stop,’’ he said.
Visas were being granted when they shouldn’t have been, said Peters, because Immigration NZ was ‘‘not even observing the law and the rules’’.
The Government has also made changes to the parent category visa, including a much higher income test. – RNZ answer is profoundly