Three years stranded in Cook Islands as transit visas still out of reach

A foreign national has been stranded in the Cook Islands for three years. Despite assistance from Cook Islands Immigration neither New Zealand nor Australia has approved a transit visa for her return home.

The 49-year-old arrived in the Cook Islands on 8 November 2023 and has been unable to leave since then.

She also does not possess a visa to stay in the country. Neither Australia nor New Zealand has approved her transit, for which she does not even require leaving the Airport.

Cook Islands principal immigration officer Chere Arthur wrote to Immigration New Zealand on 11 April 2025, offering assistance by having someone escort the South Asian national to Auckland Airport until she boarded her connecting flight to Singapore.

Nothing has eventuated from Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

Responding to queries from Cook Islands News, Arthur said in an email that the Cook Islands government understands there is public interest in this matter.

"The individual remains in the Cook Islands not because options for departure have not been explored, but because of difficulties obtaining the transit visas needed to travel through other countries on the way to her final destination," Arthur said.

"Transit visas are issued by the countries a person needs to pass through during their journey. Decisions about these visas are made by those countries and are outside the control of the Cook Islands government.

"While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has worked to identify possible travel arrangements, any departure depends on the approval of the necessary transit and travel documents by the relevant authorities.

Cook Islands principal immigration officer Chere Arthur says the government has explored possible travel arrangements for the woman, but her departure depends on transit and travel document approvals from other countries. Photo/TE KAUONO TUTARA E TE MANA TIAKI - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Cook Islands

"The government continues to manage the matter in accordance with the law and, to protect the individual's privacy, will not comment further on the details of the case."

INZ said it would comment on the matter when a privacy waiver is provided to them authorising this newspaper to seek responses on the foreign national's behalf.

A waiver or a consent was provided to INZ on Friday; however, because of time differences, no reply has been forthcoming yet.

New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands Catherine Graham said she had contacted Wellington.

"I've contacted the relevant team in Wellington for a response and will come back to you as soon as I can. As it is the weekend, I don't imagine I'll get a response until our Sunday at the earliest," she told Cook Islands News.

Questions sent to the Australian High Commission remain unanswered.

Listen to Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown's full interview on Pacific Mornings about the Pacific nation's relationship with Aotearoa NZ.

The foreign national left her country after her husband was killed. She worked in Hong Kong for almost a year before being granted a work visa in New Zealand in March 2023. Whilst working, she applied for an asylum visa.

The woman claimed that while her visa was being processed, she was told by the lawyer helping her out that she needed to leave New Zealand and return later.

She claimed that her family is assisting her but wants to return to her home country, and the only obstacle is a transit visa through either Australia or New Zealand.

This story was first published in the Cook Islands News.