Couple still awaiting N.Z. residence decision
Two West German social workers still await a final decision on their application for permanent residence in New Zealand. Their visa will expire on December 20 but they have been granted an extension until January 20 while they await the decision. It is the couple’s third extension. They arrived in New Zealand in August, 1982, on a visitor’s permit. In May they became foster parents in a Social Welfare family home in Christchurch and the Social Welfare Department supported their application for a three-month work permit. It was extended for a further three months to November 20. Their first application for permanent residence was declined on the ground that social workers did not rank on the occupational priority list for immigrants. This was in spite of a shortage of foster parents in New Zealand. They made an urgent appeal to the Minister of Immigration, Mr Malcolm, to reconsider the decision. They have now been given two month-long extensions while they await a final decision.
Mr Malcolm said from Wellington yesterday that he had sought further information and had given the couple a short extension in the meantime. The couple, Barbara Kuhnert and Rolf Grote, were told yesterday by the immigration authorities that they could remain in New Zealand until January 20. They are no longer working at the Social Welfare home because suitable replacement foster-parents were found. The department could not afford to leave them in the home in case their application was not successful and they had to
leave at short notice, they said. They were not sure if the change in circumstances would affect their application. The Social Welfare Department said they could be placed in a home once they had permission to stay in New Zealand permanently and they had also been offered work with Te Whanau Trust, a Christchurch whole-earth cooperative. In spite of the delays over their application, the couple said that they still wanted to stay in New Zealand because they had work and friends here.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19831215.2.38
Bibliographic details
Press, 15 December 1983, Page 4
Word Count
338Couple still awaiting N.Z. residence decision Press, 15 December 1983, Page 4
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in