Gill Bonnett
An Indian man has been allowed to stay in New Zealand for a year to earn money to pay back debts in India.
The Immigration and Protection Tribunal heard that his family would be forced to sell their home after threats from loan sharks.
The 27-year-old man came to New Zealand in 2012 as a student, intending to repay the $20,000 loan his father took out by earning after his studies.
Lender’s threat
When a repayment deadline was not met, the money lender threatened to attack his relatives and kidnap and sexually assault his sisters.
Heavy interest was added to the loans and the man’s New Zealand work visa applications were rejected. Last year his father was attacked by a gang sent by the loan sharks.
The family had borrowed from friends and family and they too needed repaying.
The Tribunal ruled that the family faced homelessness, mental and physical health issues and lack of income.
“The Tribunal accepts the appellant’s claim that his family has been threatened with physical harm and sexual assault, their property has been damaged and his father has been assaulted by the money lender and his associates to whom the father owes ₹1,300,000 (about $27,000) due to delays in the repayment of the loan.
Attempted suicide
“The father has attempted to commit suicide due to depression arising from the threats from the moneylender. The mother has developed cardiac issues and been hospitalised, due, in part, to the pressure from the moneylender and his associates,” the Tribunal said.
It had rejected a refugee claim, but upheld his appeal against deportation, saying that his humanitarian circumstances extended to those of his family. It granted him a 12-month work visa and the opportunity to apply for another when that expired.
If he were deported, he would be unable to repay the bulk of the debt, it said.
Significant hardship
“This will result in his family facing homelessness and other significant hardship. The Tribunal also accepted the ongoing risks to the safety of the appellant and his family if the loan was not repaid, including through instalments, from the money lender in the Punjab.
“In doing so, it referred to country information confirming the prevalence of money lenders in the Punjab, enforcing their demands with violence and threats of violence, and acting with impunity.”
Gill Bonnett is an Immigration Reporter at Radio New Zealand. The above Report and Picture have been published under a Special Arrangement with www.rnz.co.nz
Image from loanshark.co.nz
