Hungarian family's business at risk as they await residency fate
Monday, 5 December 2022
A Hungarian family fear their successful catering business could be destroyed if they have to wait too long for their fate to be decided by Immigration New Zealand.
Ivett Kerekes says she was already getting calls from people wondering if their wedding events would go ahead since the news that their New Zealand residency was declined last week. They have 42 days to appeal their case.
“I know how big a stress this is for them, and for us. Everything is set up for these events. I gave my word to them…they were calling in desperation asking if I have a Plan B if we have to leave the country on 12 January.”
Their future rests in the hands of Associate Immigration Minister Phil Twyford.
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Ōtaki MP Terisa Ngobi lodged a request for a Ministerial Special Discretion for the Kāpiti-based family with Twyford last Wednesday and was hopeful it would be considered as a “matter of urgency”.
Their case had resonated with Kiwis since it came to light.
A petition supporting their case to stay, started six days ago, had grown to more than 47,700 people.
Kerekes arrived in Aotearoa with her husband Andras and their three sons in 2017 on an entrepreneurial residence visa.
Their initial business plan was to export cheese and meat to the European market, but this was thwarted when New Zealand’s open trade policy with China started a few months after they arrived.
They adapted their plan by opening Anzil, a Hungarian restaurant, in 2018 and a successful catering business PartyPerfect the following year.
INZ said Kerekes and her family did not meet all business requirements of the entrepreneur residence visa.
On Monday Kerekes was talking through her case at the family business in Lindale Village with her lawyer, Don Battah, who has been working pro bono for them over the past four years.
“The current situation would impact their bookings,” said Battah, now a good mate.
“All the weddings happen in January, February and March, and it will be a huge stress if the minister doesn’t make a decision quickly.
“And all those people who are employed by the family… The risk for them is that they won’t have a job, they’ll go looking for something else.”
The family could lodge an appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal from the day their residency was declined on November 28.
The whole process of applying for another temporary visa while going through the tribunal process could take the better part of nine months, he said “and that’s not something their catering business could handle. It’s the uncertainty.
“It’s clear the minister has the authority to make a decision on this. It’s pretty clear that nearly 50,000 Kiwis have a view about this.”
The entrepreneurial visa was an inflexible and based on an out-of-date policy, he said.
“This is a response to a broken policy.
“This is about a family caught up in a policy that is not entrepreneurial. You cannot be entrepreneurial on an entrepreneurial visa. They would have been out of business if they hadn’t pivoted when they did. They will never be a burden on the taxpayer which is the number one thing.”
A spokesperson for Twyford said the Minister didn’t comment on individual cases, but can confirm a request for ministerial intervention has been received.
Ngobi said she had asked Tywford to look at this case using his special discretion as minister and he had agreed.
“I’m hopeful, after speaking to Phil, that we might hear something in the next week. It’s feeling really positive…”
She said Kerekes and her family were “beautiful people” who had done much for their community, including giving food away during Covid lockdowns.
“I absolutely support them. I will go to bat for them.”
She said the Government had been trying to work on “outdated” immigration laws and policy.
“We are in there trying to make these changes, but it takes time.”
Time, something Kerekes and her family were running short of.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said Ōtaki MP Terisa Ngobi was hopeful Ministerial Special Discretion would be used to approve Ivett Kerekes’ application as a “matter of urgency”. She hoped it would be considered with urgency. It also said Ngobi had known Kerekes for two years. They are friends on social media, but no timeframe was given.