A Sri Lankan woman has been unable to leave the remote Cook Islands for three years after repeated transit‑visa rejections.
Key points
- Repeated visa refusals by New Zealand and Australia have left Ranasinghe unable to leave the Cook Islands.
- Immigration authorities cite doubts about her genuine intention to transit and note that asylum status blocks other visa applications.
- Sri Lankan officials are actively seeking a solution, but logistical and legal hurdles remain.
Ruchira Ranasinghe, a 50‑year‑old citizen of Sri Lanka, says she has been confined to the Cook Islands for three years because New Zealand and Australia have turned down her applications for transit visas, according to a BBC News report.
Ranasinghe arrived in New Zealand in December 2022 on a two‑month visitor visa, later applied for asylum and was granted an open work visa for asylum seekers, which allowed her to work in a local restaurant. She says the restaurant agreed to sponsor a standard work visa, but the application was declined on the basis that asylum seekers cannot pursue other visas while their claims are under review.
Background of the case
Following advice from an immigration adviser, she temporarily left New Zealand for the Cook Islands and attempted to submit a new work‑visa request from abroad. The move, however, breached the conditions of her asylum‑related visa, complicating her legal status.
Ranasinghe has filed three transit‑visa requests with New Zealand and four with Australia, all of which were rejected. Immigration New Zealand told the BBC that officials were not convinced her sole purpose was to transit through the country, and the New Zealand immigration minister’s office added that measures such as an escort or handcuffs would not affect the possibility of a new asylum claim.
Visa refusals and legal hurdles
Alternative routes via Tahiti or Hawaii would require her to provide biometric data in person in New Zealand, a step she cannot take while stranded. On the islands she lives in staff‑provided hotel accommodation, and local residents have supplied food and clothing. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is working to arrange her return home.
The situation underscores the difficulties faced by asylum seekers who try to travel while their claims are pending, especially when they become caught in remote jurisdictions with limited visa pathways.
Reader questions
Why is Ranasinghe unable to depart the Cook Islands?
Both New Zealand and Australia have denied her transit‑visa applications, and her pending asylum claim prevents her from obtaining other visas needed to travel.
What support does she receive while in the Cook Islands?
She stays in staff‑provided hotel accommodation, and local residents have helped with food and clothing.
What is Sri Lanka doing about her situation?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is taking the necessary steps to facilitate her return to Sri Lanka.
Source: ua.news
