New Zealanders are known for their generosity - but it can only go so far.



This week an emotive story was splashed over the front page of the New Zealand Herald telling how a Nepalese mother Roshna Kandel has been attempting for two years to bring her 12-year-old son Santosh Bikram Singh to join her and another son in New Zealand.



Her application under the Family Category was complicated by the fact Santosh has cerebral palsy.



The bad guys in the story, Immigration NZ, declined Santosh’s application - saying his condition would impose undue costs or demands on New Zealand's public health system.



An appeal against this decision was rejected by the Independent Immigration and Protection Tribunal.



In grand tabloid style, the NZ Herald presented the story in such a way the public were expected to believe a great injustice had been done; that Immigration NZ had acted like unfeeling brutes, and young Santosh should have been brought into his mum’s loving embrace here in New Zealand.



But things are not quite that simple.



When Roshna Kandel applied for a residence visa in April 2013, she included her partner and younger son, but excluded Santosh.



Why was that?



The conclusion most Kiwis will take is that she knew if Santosh was included, then the application for all three would have been declined.



This was also the conclusion of the Independent Immigration and Protection Tribunal.



In reply to this, Roshna said she did not intend to deceive Immigration NZ and mentioned in her application that she had two children but she didn’t include Santosh because he wasn’t coming at the time.



Regardless of this explanation, most New Zealanders will believe she tried to beat our system with a falsified application.



Yes,- we can feel sympathy for her, and especially for young Santosh, but at the end of the day she has to bear the consequences of her own deceitful behaviour.



And when is the NZ Herald actually going to so some decent investigative reporting and probe the massive immigration fraud that is costing Kiwi taxpayers millions?



We’re still waiting.

source: data archive