Dad pleads to keep his son in NZ
A father fears his intellectually disabled son will die when he is forced to return to Fiji.
Immigration New Zealand has given Sagar Narayan until October 27 to leave the country.
But his father Lalit Narayan said the 20-year-old had the mental age of a child and would not be able to survive independently.
‘‘I don’t know what will happen to him. He is going to die.
‘‘Maybe he will run away or have an accident or something.
‘‘He will stop eating and drinking,’’ he said.
Immigration NZ rejected Sagar’s application for residence as a dependent child on health grounds.
‘‘They keep saying he can’t stay because of health costs, but in the last eight years I have not asked for anything,’’ Lalit Narayan said.
‘‘I can pay for my own son. I don’t want a single penny from the government. All I want is to have my son in front of my eyes.’’
Lalit Narayan said an immigration officer made the ‘‘senseless’’ suggestion the pair could keep in touch via Skype.
‘‘Who will turn on the computer for him, who will tell him how to connect?’’
Sagar Narayan needed help with eating, showering and sometimes even walking, his father said.
The Narayan family were granted permanent residence when they arrived in New Zealand in 2008.
However, Sagar Narayan was withdrawn from his father’s application at the time and he remained in Fiji.
That was where he lived until his grandparents died in 2009.
An aunt initially cared for Sagar Narayan, but her ill-health meant she could no longer be his caregiver.
Lalit Narayan decided to bring his son to New Zealand.
The father – who is a professional caregiver – said he has spent thousands of dollars to keep his son in the country.
Sagar Narayan lived in New Zealand on temporary visas until January, 2016, before Immigration NZ declined his residence under the dependent child category.
In April, he was served deportation orders and five months later Immigration NZ ordered him out of the country by the end of October.
The Narayans will be celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali this month, but Lalit Narayan said the family had been too stressed to sort their shopping.
‘‘I will be praying to God so he [Sagar Narayan] can stay in the country.’’
Immigration NZ director of operations Peter Elms said they were working closely with Narayan’s family and lawyer to facilitate Sagar Narayan’s departure.
He said Immigration’s decision not to grant him residence under the dependent child category was upheld by the independent Immigration and Protection Tribunal.
‘‘Subsequent appeals for ministerial intervention have been declined and a deportation order was served on Sagar in April this year.’’