by Ivett Kerekes, Andras and their sons Andor, Szilard and Gergo
We are a family in CRISIS!
We arrived from Hungary 6 years ago, under the Entrepreneur’s Visa, keen to set up a business and re-establish our Family in New Zealand.
We have been successful in business:
⦁ The largest catering business on the Kapiti Coast, PartyPerfect.
⦁ A popular destination: ANZIL Hungarian Restaurant.
⦁ Distribution of quality cheese and dried meats on local markets.
All of these enterprises have been successful, achieved through hard work.
These businesses all have a great reputations as well as being profitable.
In addition, we have often used our various enterprises in support of local charities within the community.
AND NOW THE BAD NEWS
During the six years, we have attempted to negotiate towards ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’, NZ Residency.
Unfortunately, our dealings with the Immigration Department we have had a procession of 7 different case officers, each time taking us back to the start, answering the same set of questions. We have been lost in the labyrinth of Immigration.
On November 28 (after 6 years) finally our Application for Residency was rejected and we were informed, that unless some new path was found we will have to exit New Zealand in 42 days.
Our family are heart broken, we have worked hard, paid tax and we love this country, and this action is simply NOT FAIR.
Please sign this petition in of support of the battle for our Residency and prove that what we do is viable and needed.
An e-mail should also be sent to the Minister of Immigration, Michael Wood.
Scandalous stuff-up by Immigration! Keeping these fine folk waiting for six years and then ignominiously rejecting them on just six weeks notice is appalling maladministration. I have signed the petition and trust that we can get political traction to have this decision over-turned.
Entrepreneur Work Visa https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/entrepreneur-work-visa
“Apply if you want to work in your own business in New Zealand. You must have NZD $100,000 to invest, a business plan, and able to claim 120 points on our points scale.
With this visa you can
Come to New Zealand to buy or set up your own business.
Work in your own business in New Zealand for up to 3 years in total.
Include your partner, and dependent children aged 19 and under, in your visa application”
This doesn’t look like a great deal, uprooting your family to set up a business in NZ, and then be chucked out after three years. $100,000 is going to attract people who want to set up a small business and stay permanently. The Andras family have managed to stay six years, and presumably assumed that they would get residency. They’re being treated as though NZ was doing them a favour, letting them in for a couple of years. It’s disgraceful. All those Green Party MPs born elsewhere would be less deserving.
I have now referred this to National’s Immigration spokesperson, Erica Stanford. (She may of course know of it already…)
This is an absolutely appalling situation that punishes hard working talented people who contribute both economically and in charitable giving to our community. This family are a respected part of our Kapiti community – and people that we do not want to loose. Immigration needs to be instructed to ‘think again’- and reverse this decision.
could it be that they’ve been turned down because they’re white, straight and Christian?
What are the traits of the decision-makers?
You could be onto something there.
Had crossed my mind …