Domestic Violence Victim Wins Battle to Remain in New Zealand

Nazima Khatun, a Fijian-Indian woman who was facing deportation from New Zealand has won her battle to remain in the country.

Ms Khatun came to New Zealand under her husband’s visa. However, she decided to leave her husband once she was regulary abused and assaulted by him. Her decision to abandon her husband made her the illegal migrant in New Zealand.

She applied for a work visa, however, her application was disapproved by Immigration New Zealand on the grounds of availability of local to perform the similar job. The work visa application for a job can be turned down if employees from the local labor force are available to fill the vacancy and that is what exactly happened.

The refusal of work visa application meant possible deportation from New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand initially turned down her application for a work visa because the job she applied for could be done by a Kiwi.

However, with the help of her current employer Hawera Rape Crisis (HRC), she is not only able to stay in the country but also has the opportunity to engage herself with women in similar situations to help them overcome the barriers of language and culture.

She is happy and has a very simple message for all those women who are facing the similar situations, “Stay strong, there is hope. Stay strong.”

She further said, “I cannot explain how happy I was. There isn’t any word.”

Tags: Family Sponsorship, Immigration, New Zealand, work permit, Work visa