Job-seeking Canadian stranded by Covid-19 struggles to get visa clarity
Ken Simpson isnt after a high-powered job. Hes just asking for the chance to shuttle food and drink around a local cafe the ability to make some cash during his unintentionally lengthy stint in Dunedin. Willing to do literally anything to make a few bob after Covid-19 saw the Canadian citizen become stuck" in New Zealand, unable to travel to London to work as a tour guide. Simpson is now battling Immigration New Zealand (INZ) bureaucracy, which he says has given the run around as he attempts to get a Working Holiday Visa application signed off. He arrived in the country on March 16 to spend six weeks with his New Zealand-based partner. He was given a six-month visitor visa at the airport, just eight hours after self-isolation rules came into force. READ MORE: * Coronavirus: Tens of thousands of offshore visa applications stalled * Immigration NZ staff tackle asylum seeker backlog * Nelson firefighter's residency put on ice by immigration minister Then the border shut, his Air New Zealand flight to the UK cancelled, leaving him in lockdown on the other side of the world. Facing the prospect of spending several months in New Zealand, Simpson applied for a working holiday visa to allow him to pick up casual cafe work. "I will do literally anything at this point, to be honest. I want to support myself and not be eating away at my savings. I have asked around in Dunedin and a few coffee shops would be more than happy to hire me as just a fill-in person which is all I am looking for. Simpson isnt interested in taking a skilled job away from a New Zealander who may have lost their job due to Covid. You know, on call work, any time, when anybody is sick. Just something to pass the time and earn some money instead of just sitting around, Simpson said. Ordinarily the processing time for a visa of this type is two weeks, but Simpson has been waiting six and has received conflicting advice from INZ call centre staff along the way. There seems to be next to no help or professionalism on the side of [INZ] for those how want to work here legally, pay taxes, and be a useful member of the public while here, Simpson said. Able to access a support network in Dunedin, Simpson admits he is luckier than most as of July 14, there were 610 others waiting for decisions on their working holiday visa applications. I just cant imagine people that dont have that support system who are stuck here due to Covid, want to work and then aren't allowed to, Simpson said. Nicola Hogg, INZ general manager of border and visa operations, acknowledged Simpson had contacted the agency on several occasions for updates on his application which is still in progress. INZ said it provided those updates accordingly, based on the status of Mr Simpsons visa application and advised him in writing that a medical certificate and chest x-ray certificate were needed in order for his application to proceed. Individuals who are in New Zealand for more than 12 months require a medical certificate, regardless of the amount of time they intend to stay in the country, and a 12-month visa under the Canada Working Holiday Scheme would push Mr Simpsons time in New Zealand over a year, Hogg said.