SA family’s New Zealand heartache

A SOUTH African family has found itself in a tight spot after New Zealand authorities ruled that their five-year-old blind daughter should leave the country as she was not of an acceptable standard of health.

Caitlyn Davies, whose visa application was declined this year, and father Jonathan‚ who works on a farm in New Zealand‚ moved to the country two years ago.

They were later joined by Caitlyn’s mother and a one-year-old sibling.

Family lawyer Andrew Riches said yesterday his clients were still looking at other appeal options but the family was devastated.

He said the burden on the healthcare system of the country would be minimal as Caitlyn only needed a specialist check-up once a year. “The big cost is on education‚” he said. According to an article in New Zealand media‚ the family said that there were issues around the safety of their daughter at school should she return to South Africa.

In another case, a 58-year-old South African woman has likened her pending deportation from Australia to a death sentence‚ after her visa application was rejected.

Linda Oppel was told she would have to return home because her sister‚ who lives in Perth‚ was not considered her relative by the Australian government‚ despite a DNA test that was 99.6% positive.

“I’ve embraced Australia as my new home now with my two kids and my grandchild, so I’m really devastated,” Oppel said.

She said the confusion over her sister was due to Oppel being adopted after their parents died when she was five years old.

Immigration lawyer Gerry Eisenberg cautioned South Africans against emigrating to countries without understanding their immigration laws.

He said countries like New Zealand‚ Australia and Canada now had complicated immigration systems.