A dire situation
The British Poet Warsan Shire couldn’t be more right. When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August of 2021, F knew he had to get out of there. He and his entire family were supporters of the previous US backed government and would be seen as supporters of the infidel regime and, therefore, legitimate targets for reprisals. At the time he had two family members living in NZ and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) gave him a visa to visit them. After months of evading the Taliban and trying to find a safe way out of Afghanistan he finally made it to NZ in December 2021. That was not the end of his troubles, however.
From the frying pan into the fire
His visa expired in May of 2022 and INZ refused several requests to issue him with any more visas. He was unlawful, unemployed, and desperate. To compound his problems a family member made allegations of assault against him and viciously accused him of being a member of the Taliban. After several court hearings F was acquitted of the assault charges when the family member resiled from the allegations and also admitted that the Taliban allegation was untrue.
Finally refugee status!
In the meantime, we filed an application for refugee status with the the Refugee Status Unit (RSU) in Auckland supported by hundreds of pages of submissions, country information reports, witness statements and other evidence. In April of 2023, F had a day long interview with RSU staff in Auckland to test the veracity of his case. Then we waited, and waited and waited. F was still unlawful and wholly dependent on the generosity of others to survive while he waited for a decision which he finally got on 8 November 2023. He was recognised as a refugee under the UN Convention!
Our last piece in the puzzle is to request a residence visa for him so that he can build a life in his new homeland. Welcome to your new life in New Zealand, F!
If you are looking for assistance for refugee or protected person status, please book an initial consultation here