A South African couple living in New Zealand claims their six-year-old son has been threatened with deportation solely because he has Down syndrome.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Sonandi and Ruan Geldenhuys moved to New Zealand last year. Their younger son was able to get a student visa despite not even being in school yet, but six-year-old Luandre’s visa was denied. “It really hits a person in the gut,” Ruan said, while Sonandi added, “Someone is sitting there stating that he’s not as good as his brother, just based on paper. They [immigration officials] haven’t met him, they haven’t seen him.”
Luandre’s case was rejected the same day Immigration Minister Erica Stanford gave a speech saying that the children of some migrants would not be permitted to stay. “From 17 March, dependent children of temporary visa holders will no longer be eligible for student and visitor visas if they have a severe cognitive or development disorder that requires significant support,” she said.
@nzheraldThe 6-year-old child of a South African couple living in Waikato is being threatened with deportation because he has Down syndrome – a move his parents say is “heartbreaking” and “discriminatory”. Sonandi and Ruan Geldenhuys’ son Luandre had his student visa declined despite his 2-year-old brother – who doesn’t have the genetic condition and isn’t at school yet – being given a visa by immigration officials. Ruan Geldenhuys told the Herald it feels like decision makers have decided his son is too much of a burden to be allowed to remain in New Zealand. “It really hits a person in the gut,” he said. Ruan’s wife, Sonandi, agreed, saying her son’s diagnosis appeared to have been the only factor considered in the decision. “Someone is sitting there stating that he’s not as good as his brother, just based on paper. They [immigration officials] haven’t met him, they haven’t seen him,” she said. 🔗 Get the full story via the link in our bio.♬ original sound – nzherald
These children, Stanford said, are putting a strain on the system. The announcement came mere days before World Down Syndrome Day, celebrated on March 21st.
“It was a slap in the face to hear the minister actually change the rules to make it so hard for anybody with a disability to stand a chance of getting a visa in this country,” Ruan said, adding, “We’ve got firsthand experience of the discrimination against technically anybody with disabilities. We felt like instead of helping, they’ve actually completely closed [the door] on anybody with any type of disability. That’s just so unfair.”
The Geldenhuys are not the first family to be affected by systemic ableism in New Zealand. Similar stories have been told by numerous other families who likewise have been threatened with deportation because their children have Down syndrome. It is so prevalent that the United Nations issued a report in 2022 criticizing New Zealand for its mistreatment of people with disabilities.
“The committee is concerned about the acceptable standard of health requirements applied under the immigration rules of New Zealand, which allow for discrimination in practice against persons with disabilities in immigration,” the report said. Disability rights adviser Juliana Carvalho further accused New Zealand of ignoring the recommendations from the United Nations.
“By tightening health and education requirements for temporary visa holders, the Government is ignoring these [UN] recommendations and doubling down on its violation of rights,” she said, adding, “This policy unfairly blames migrant families and their disabled children for the failures of an underfunded education system. It misuses the idea of ‘transparency’ to justify blatant discrimination.”
