Immigration u-turn grants centenarian's wish

A 101-year-old widower will live out his twilight years with his only living relative in New Zealand after immigration officials reversed a decision to send him back to England.

The widower, a retired research chemist who has been living with his English-born New Zealand-resident son since 2006, was refused residency on a technicality - his son hadn't lived here for the required minimum 184 days in each of the three years before his application was made.

In his application for residency, the centenarian told immigration officials he no longer wished to live alone in Britain and his 63-year-old son thought the sensible and responsible option was for him to come to live with him and his wife.

The 101-year-old arrived on a visitor's permit in July 2006. It expired in April 2007, but he didn't renew it because he believed he wasn't required to while his residence application was being determined.

In his appeal to the independent Residence Review Board (RRB), the man said he had "adequate financial resources" to support himself and met Immigration New Zealand (INZ) health requirements.

Despite the man's savings of some $363,000 and receiving an annual pension of almost $83,000, the RRB confirmed INZ's decision to decline the man's application saying there were no special circumstances.

"Overall, the appellant's age, his financial resources, the fact that his son lives in New Zealand and the fact the appellant has no family in Great Britain do not make him special," the RRB said.

"There is no evidence that the appellant could not have continued to live in Great Britain alone and without his son, as he had done for many years."

But immigration officials softened their hardline stance after intervention from Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove, who asked them to take another look at the man's case.

An INZ spokeswoman confirmed to NZPA today the man would be allowed to stay.

New Zealand welcomed another centenarian immigrant yesterday when 102-year-old Briton Eric King-Turner arrived in Wellington aboard the Saga Rose cruise ship.

Mr King-Turner, New Zealand's oldest immigrant, moved halfway across the world with his New Zealand-born wife of more than 12 years, Doris, 89. They are believed to be settling in Nelson, where Mrs King-Turner is understood to own a house.

The spokeswoman told NZPA where cases do not meet policy requirements, there was provision for the individual merits of the case to be looked at, "and in this case residency was granted".

"It is important to note that no two cases are exactly the same and where discretion is used it is based on the specific circumstances of that case," she said.

Mr Cosgrove said both he and Associate Immigration Minister Shane Jones had discretion to ask officials to look again at exceptional cases referred to them.

He said he asked immigration officials to review the man's case after he became aware of publicity in the media.

Ministerial intervention was rarely used and only in exceptional circumstances.

"I'm pleased," Mr Cosgrove told NZPA.

"I think it's a good decision and I hope the gentleman has a good life."

- NZPA