Tokyo trip to bring husband home
Wendy Harnett is packing for ‘‘the indefinite’’.
The coronavirus pandemic has kept the Wellington woman separated from her husband for four months – now she is heading to Japan in the hopes she can bring him back to New Zealand with her.
Harnett has applied to Immigration New Zealand (INZ) three times so that her Japanese husband Koji Arihisa can be with her in Karori. All of the applications have been rejected.
Fed up with the constant rejection and uncertainty, Harnett will fly to Tokyo next week to get Arihisa – hoping a fourth attempt to get his residency visa approved will be successful from overseas.
‘‘I’m not returning to New Zealand without him,’’ Harnett said.
Currently, INZ rules allow the partners, dependent children or legal guardians of New Zealand citizens to enter the country if they are entering with a New Zealand citizen. However, it isn’t known how these rules will be applied with the borders still closed to everyone except New Zealand citizens and returning residents.
Even if the couple is successful in getting the visa, Harnett is prepared to spend months in Japan waiting for the documents to be approved.
She will also have to quarantine on arrival in Tokyo for two weeks before Harnett can be reunited with her husband.
The 54-year-old Karori resident has criticised the Government over a perceived lack of transparency regarding the criteria for Covid-19 border exemptions.
‘‘I just lost heart in the last week and if I didn’t try to bring him back, I’d face an indefinite absence from him,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m not willing to tolerate that ... I’d rather be stuck there with him.’’
The couple’s wedding anniversary was last week and when she was out of quarantine, they planned to go on a trip around Japan. Harnett has a spouse visa which allows her to stay in Japan.
Harnett, who has been speaking to other people in similar situations, said it was disheartening as many of them did not meet the ‘‘strict’’ criteria.
She described herself as a ‘‘test case’’ while packing for the ‘‘indefinite’’.
‘‘I think if I’m successful, most people will definitely follow my lead. When you love someone, you won’t stop at anything, it’s simple.’’
Immigration New Zealand was approached for comment.