A South African family living in Waikato is fighting to keep their 6-year-old son Luandre in New Zealand after immigration officials denied his student visa due to his Down syndrome diagnosis—a decision his parents call “heartbreaking” and “discriminatory.”
The parents told legacy media that while their younger son was granted a visa, Luandre was rejected under a new immigration rule that bars children with severe cognitive disorders from receiving student visas.
The decision came just days before World Down Syndrome Day and amid criticism from the UN over New Zealand’s treatment of disabled migrants.
Despite the Ministry of Education providing early support for Luandre, Immigration NZ cited strain on resources, leaving the family seeking ministerial intervention and calling for fairer, more inclusive policies.
So. After nearly a decade of our Leaders demanding we become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society They still persist in actively excluding, and discriminating against, children with ‘disabilities ‘.
Only perfect people welcome here.
We should be ashamed of ourselves.
I will wait with bated breath for Michael Laws to shout out his condemnation of this policy.
“Only perfect people welcome here. We should be ashamed of ourselves.” Hey, if you want to care for that individual, cool.
But leave me out of your shame masturbation.
No it’s a fair law that everyone must follow . Has been this way for decades .
Nz should not be responsible for families that are not here legally and entitled to medical care .
Realise family are upset . If we open it up we will put our medical system to over load . We would have 100’s coming for free care .
One way around it would be to make the parents 100% financially responsible for next 10 years rather than putting it on tax payers directly. I a sure there are many organisations or groups that could help with both support and finances.
They could follow Canada’s example and let people in, provided they are willing to personally meet the cost, of any care required.