A 49-year-old woman believed to be Sri Lankan has been stranded in the Cook Islands for nearly three years after New Zealand and Australia refused to grant her transit visas, preventing her from returning to her home country.
According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), the woman arrived in the Cook Islands on November 8, 2023, and has been unable to leave despite repeated attempts to secure permission to travel through either country.
RNZ Pacific journalist Johnny Blades identified the woman as reportedly being from Sri Lanka during an October 14 broadcast.
The woman reportedly left Sri Lanka in early 2023 following the alleged killing of her husband. She subsequently travelled to New Zealand, where she sought asylum.
She claims that, after receiving advice from a lawyer to temporarily leave New Zealand and return, she travelled to the Cook Islands but was subsequently unable to secure permission to travel through New Zealand.
The woman currently has no valid visa to remain in the Cook Islands.
Immigration New Zealand has confirmed receiving multiple transit visa applications from the woman but rejected them because authorities were not satisfied that she genuinely intended to transit through the country.
According to RNZ, the Cook Islands government offered to escort her through Auckland Airport to a connecting flight to Singapore. However, the arrangement has not resulted in her departure.
Australia has also reportedly refused her transit visa applications, while attempts to arrange travel through Tahiti have been unsuccessful.
The woman has described her situation as a psychological nightmare and insists that her only intention is to return home to her family.
She has even offered to be detained and escorted through an airport if authorities believe additional security measures are necessary.
Her situation has also prevented her from returning home for her son’s wedding.
New Zealand immigration lawyer Richard Small, who is not representing the woman, told RNZ that her previous asylum application may be complicating efforts to secure transit permission.
He suggested that authorities may be reluctant to approve her travel because of concerns that she could attempt to remain in New Zealand.
The case has raised questions about how a foreign national can return home when transit countries refuse entry, even for an airport connection.
Nearly three years after arriving in the Cook Islands, the woman remains dependent on assistance while awaiting a solution that would allow her to return to Sri Lanka. (Newswire)
The post Transit visas denied: Sri Lankan woman stranded in Cook Islands for nearly 3 years appeared first on Newswire.