A South Korean woman’s medically assisted deportation cost New Zealand taxpayers $85,000 after both she and the Korean government declined to pay.
The woman had overstayed her visa since 2012 and was rediscovered in 2024 after being hospitalised following two strokes. She required two medical escorts and specialised air transport after undergoing brain surgery and rehabilitation.
Figures from 2024 showed just over half of deportees were overstayers, 30% had breached other visa conditions and 16% were deported following criminal offending. Recent figures estimated about 19,000 people are currently overstaying their visas, including 6,559 who arrived within the past three years.
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