50,000 people signed a petition in New Zealand not to deport a Hungarian family

Ivett Kerekes, her husband and three sons relocated from Hungary to New Zealand in 2017 with an entrepreneur visa. Since then, they have managed to fit in; the family runs a successful catering and event planning company. But their life took a turn this year, on 28 November: the New Zealand immigration office rejected their residence permit application, Stuff reported. 

The immigration office justified the decision on the grounds that the Hungarian family did not meet all the business requirements to receive a business residence visa. The family does its best to be able to stay in the country, writes 24.hu.

They started a petition which was signed by 43,000 people within just a couple of days. On 5 December, the family announced on their Facebook page that more than 50,000 signatures had been collected both online and in person.

“Thank you, to every single one of you who knows, appreciates and supports our work standing right behind us,” wrote their post.

When they moved to New Zealand, not everything happened the way they imagined. Their original business plan was to export cheese and meat to the European market. However, they had to abort this idea when New Zealand’s open trade policy with China began a few months after their arrival, Stuff says.

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They changed their plans and, instead opened a Hungarian restaurant called Anzil in 2018 and a catering business called PartyPerfect the following year. Locals also know them for their stall selling dried meat products in markets around Kāpiti. After three years of living in New Zealand, they applied for residency.

“We have often used our various enterprises to support local charities within the community”, the family wrote in the petition. When they were faced with the rejection of their application despite all their aspirations, the family started the petition in desperation. Although they were popular in the community, they had not expected such a quick response and so much support, Telex.hu reported.

Photo: Facebook

The process has been overwhelming for the family’s two older sons Andor (25) and Szilárd (23). They are unable to take paid work or continue their studies unless they enroll as international students. They help at the family business, but they do not earn, Stuff reports. “I would like to study building science but I cannot afford to be an international student”, says Szilárd.

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“My 7-year-old son asked me: Mom, do you think these people believe we’re not good enough? That’s why we have to leave?” she recalls. She said it was tough to accept the rejection. All she could tell her son was that maybe they had not examined their documents thoroughly enough. “Maybe they don’t know us well enough.”

The family can appeal to the Immigration Office within 42 days of receiving the negative decision. Nicola Hogg, Immigration New Zealand’s general manager, says their café is not an exporter, as detailed in their business plan, writes Stuff.

The case has parallels with French-born café owner Julien Debord. He gave up running his Napier business after spending 18 months trying to convince immigration officials that his family was worthy of residency in the country.

Source: 24.hu, stuff.co.nz, telex.hu