Source: Radio New Zealand
A 13-year-old is imploring immigration authorities to let his stepmother come to New Zealand. RNZ
A 13-year-old boy has written to immigration authorities imploring them to let his stepmother come to New Zealand.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said 30-year-old Chunxiang Chen provided false or misleading information in previous visa applications.
But the family’s lawyer said Harris Gu said INZ never completed a character waiver to assess its concerns, and Chen was the ‘missing piece’ in the Auckland family.
“The real issue is whether INZ is exercising its discretion lawfully, fairly, and humanely in light of the explanation, the waiver request, and the child-welfare circumstances.”
Yichen Lu moved from China to Auckland to live with his father, but work commitments were making care difficult. “My father often goes out early and comes home late due to work and sometimes even has to work overtime on weekends,” he said. “I want my stepmother to come and take care of me so that we can be reunited as a family.”
“As a child adjusting to a completely new environment, he needs a great deal of emotional support and companionship,” said his father Allen Lu, 44. “Unfortunately, due to my work responsibilities, it has been very difficult for me to provide him with the level of care and attention he truly needs. It’s really hard for the single dad like to raise the family. You have to look after your kids and also you have to make the money.”
The couple met three years ago in New Zealand, and married in China in December 2024. Both his son and wife were suffering from depression, he said.
INZ visa director Chris Adamson said it understood it was an upsetting situation. “During our assessment of her latest application, we noted she has previously provided false and misleading information on previous applications, including inconsistent information about her relationship with her now husband. Because of this, we are not satisfied she currently meets the character requirements to be granted a visa.”
He said INZ had outlined its concerns to their lawyer, including that she was a genuine visitor, with ties to her home country and sufficient funds held in her own name.
“We recognise the family’s concerns around their son’s wellbeing and the impact of family separation. While we do consider New Zealand’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the best interests of the child as a primary consideration, we are not able to grant a visa where core requirements are not met. In practice, this means we carefully consider the child’s circumstances and any impact on their wellbeing, but these factors must be weighed alongside all visa requirements.”
Lawyer Harris Gu. supplied
Gu said the family circumstances meant she would need to move onto another visa, but that did not mean she would overstay.
“For the current time being, it’s best for her to come here to reunite with the family and plan for the future. So other visa options include student visa or work visa in her own right. And, perhaps, the worst case scenario, she can request the minister to consider special direction to grant a resident visa.”
There had been no deliberate deception and she had been misled by an unlicensed agent. “She accepts the confusion caused, is remorseful, and has since engaged proper legal representation. A character waiver request was submitted to INZ in July 2025. The key point is that, since I started acting, INZ has never actually determined the character waiver.
“The applications have instead been declined, or progressed toward decline, on other grounds such as bona fides, funds, home-country ties, or lawful purpose. In my view, INZ’s response is selective and risks misleading by omission.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand