Disabled teen loses deportation appeal, ordered to leave New Zealand
A disabled teenager with high-needs medical conditions has been ordered to leave New Zealand after her appeal against deportation was rejected. The Immigration and Protection Tribunal ruled that her case did not meet the threshold for exceptional humanitarian circumstances, despite her family's permanent residency status.
Why it matters
The case highlights the complexities and often harsh outcomes of immigration policies regarding medical dependency and humanitarian appeals.
A teenager who uses a wheelchair and needs help with daily tasks such as eating, bathing and dressing has been ordered to leave the country or face deportation.
Her resident family will likely have to leave New Zealand with her, after the teen's appeal against deportation on humanitarian grounds failed.
The teen, who has cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia, vision impairment and an intellectual disability, arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in December 2024, having been granted a special visitor visa after a failed first attempt.
She then overstayed her visa by almost a year, making her liable for deportation.
An appeal lodged on her behalf was declined.
The Immigration and Protection Tribunal found last month that the teen, whose name and identifying details are suppressed, had not established that there were exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature.
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