Weather or not she deserves special treatment or not is not the issue - why is normal treatment so bad. We are told New Zealand wants skilled New Zealanders to return, and wants to attract skilled migrants - so we can save on the Adult Education budget - but if you are married to a foreigner, you are kept waiting for years while the Immigration department assesses you.

The only advice they will give is that they do not foresee any problems and a decision will be 'soon'. The immigration department apparently no longer works on normal bureaucratic timescales and has instead adopted geological ones.

If you are a New Zealander who married a nasty foreign person, you better start the process now and you might be able to bring a partner back when you are eligible for the pension. As for me, well to hell with New Zealand. I'm now looking for somewhere more welcoming.

"The Immigration Service would not comment yesterday."

They probably will ... soon.

NZ'ers. Let us have our pavlova and eat it to! When we need people to do our basic jobs, cause we dont want to do it, we'll just import them from a cheap country. When we need extra professionals because we dont have enough qualified people, we'll advertise around the world and beg them come back to NZ. Yet when we get people who are actually doing a good job or who will contribute, the govt departments say no and become too inflexible with the rules. This is just typical govt attitude, which is reflected in the people leaving comments.

After living in New Zealand as a single parent, paying my taxes and school fees, after school care fees and numerous extra's - I was declined a new work permit as WINZ said they had people who could do my job. This is the same job that only I had been doing for 2 years - the only position of it's kind in the country - dealing with a very sensitive government contract. That didn't matter. It didn't matter that I had paid all the fees for the applications, medicals and everything else. I was still told to leave immediately. I had to pack a suitcase each for myself and my 9 year old daughter and leave EVERYTHING else behind. Every cent I had earned in New Zealand stayed in New Zealand. The job that I was doing was actually contributing to the national safety of the millions of 'KIWI's' that don't work but would rather complain that the migrants need to leave. I would love someone to compare the hours worked by migrants and kiwi's. How many sick days are taken? How much annual leave is taken? Two years in a row I had to give up my annual leave to work as the kiwi's were all on leave. The migrants are partially responsible for making New Zealand the country that it is. But that won't stop Immigration from kicking us out. Only once you are someone and make a big deal about the mistakes that Immigration make do you get any assistance. For me, a normal hard working migrant - I couldn't fight for what I have worked really hard for - I had to give up my dream and destroy my child's future.

I am reading this book when my husband pointed out this piece of news about the writer. Well I am shocked that she wrote a whole book or two about immigration and it's difficulties and then she whines about it publicly. What a joke. Well obviously she thinks she should be given special treatment. Like a lot of people have said just follow the rules and you'll get it. It's as simple as that. I applaud Immigration NZ that they are treating everyone the same whether or not they have sold a million books or not. cheers

Martin (#27)

I didn't say that it was for the applicant to decide if they were on a preferential list.

All I was saying is that I don't think that all applications should necessarily be treated equally, merely in the name of fairness. I think that when it comes to enticing good quality migrants it's a competitve environment, and there are some people who need to be snapped up. The Immigration Service should be empowered to do this.

I didn't necessarily include the person in question in this number.

George #26

You are missing the point -- Every single applicant must go thru the same process, providing the same documentations that are required of them, and meet all non-criminal tests that are expected of them. Whether or not the applicant happens to be on the "preferential list" is only for NZ Immigration to decide! It is NOT for the applicants to decide and claim that they are the "best of the bunch", and therefore, are exempt from meeting the standard!

Given your conviction that "the world isn't fair" and that "this is a hostile environment", it would be dangerous and thoughtless to fastrack applications based on perceived notions of a person's noble career or lack-there-of. Don't ever forget what happened to the US when they failed to appropriately screen immigrants into their country during 2001 and be grateful as well as supportive of what NZ Immigration is trying to do.

Martijn (#25) - Why on earth should everyone "be treated the same exact way as other applicants to ensure consistency and fairness"?

Surely with immigration policy, especially for a small country such as NZ, you would want to cherry pick and get the very best of the bunch. Even if that meant that some people get preference over others?

I'm not saying that this woman, as a well known author, should be on that preferential list. (And I have heard of her and her books although I haven't got round to reading them yet. I understand they are well worth a look). But surely we should be encouraging the best people we can to come to our country, rather than dumbing down to the lowest common denominator in the name of (the politically correct?) concept of 'fairness'. The world isn't fair, my friend. We have to do the best we can in what is a competitive and hostile environment.

If it comes down to fast tracking doctors or other skilled professionals rather than losing them I think most kiwis, despite their notion of 'a fair go', would be ok with that.

Because the tone of this article was set by Simon Wood at the Dominion Post, it is apparent that this newspaper is trying to elicit and eventually squeezes inappropriate changes in immigration laws for their "special" subject. That is NOT how legislation works, especially for a first-world country like New Zealand, and the editor of this newspaper should know that before he allows such an absurd article to be published.

I have known of Nobel Laureates, Humanatarians, Scientists, Olympians, etc. who, all have to follow and live through set guidelines and meet all immigration requirements for acceptance to the country! This is the same process for EVERYONE! and it SHOULD BE! This is what makes a country like New Zealand desirable.

If this woman M. Lewycka feels that she is better than the rest of the applicants and all those who have gone through this process before her, then she surely doesn't belong in this country. Best-selling author or not, she will be treated the same exact way as other applicants to ensure consistency and fairness.

NZ Immigration Officials do not have to respond to this article or requests about this woman's illegitimate complaints. In fact, they should penalize her for NOT following through with the laws and push her application to the end of the line!

As for PK#9, if you can prove that it was NZ Immigration who was wreckless w/ your wife's application via documented chronology of events, I assure you, the court will side w/ your case to get you reimbursed.

This article was obviously written w/ 2 classes in mind -- the one class where people feel that they are special and are deserved to be treated differently, and the other class where everyone is treated equally regardless of whether or not they are known publicly for their works. Marina Lewycka certainly feels that she is a rather "special" person who belongs to the earlier class and therefore, is entitled to bypass all NZ immigration regulations.

Given her Ukrainian background and life experiences, it is rather Kafkaesque that she critizes the exact country that she is trying to get acceptance to. Based on the concensus comments posted on this page, it is clear that she should learn to be more respectful of the laws and be less "ridiculous" and less "absurd" about her needs!

NZ Immigration should neither modify nor reduce any of their earlier requirements they have asked of her and her husband as this would be unfair to the rest of applicants.

NZ IS a can-do society, so stop bleating and do what is required. Why do people think that publicity will help their cause? All it does, to me, is not want whingers in my country. Real Kiwis get on with the job, are understated and play by the rules