An 18-year-old New Zealand-born teenager, Navjot Singh, faces deportation to India, a country he has never visited, after the government rejected his plea for residency. Singh was born and raised in New Zealand but has no legal status because his parents overstayed their work visas. Under a 2006 law that ended birthright citizenship, children born in New Zealand to parents without lawful immigration status are not recognized as citizens, RNZ reported.Having never left the country and never attended school due to his undocumented status, Singh's situation has drawn public concern. His request for residency through ministerial intervention was denied last week by Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk.The decision contrasts with a similar case
earlier this year, when another overstayer, 18-year-old Daman Kumar, was granted residency through ministerial discretion. Kumar, who had lived in New Zealand without a valid visa for nearly two decades, told RNZ in 2023 that others like him deserved the same opportunity.
'I don't think I'll survive in India': Navjot Singh
Singh was born in Auckland in 2007, a year after changes to the country's citizenship law. As a result of the legislative reform, many children born to undocumented immigrants have grown up without access to basic rights such as education and healthcare, RNZ reported. "[My father] was deported when I was just five days old," Singh told RNZ. "I have no connection with my father. I haven't talked to him in the past five years." Singh said he first learned about his situation when he was eight years old. "I asked my mum why I wasn't at school, and then she had to tell me," he said. "Ever since, I've been living in fear. I couldn't even be honest with my friends." His parents first relocated to New Zealand in the early 2000s, eventually getting married. Singh's father applied for refugee status, but his application was declined, and he was deported in 2007. Singh's mother lost her legal right to stay in 2012, leaving him stateless. The 18-year-old teenager now fears deportation to a country he has never known."I don't think I'll survive in India," he said. "I don't speak Hindi. I've heard that people with higher qualifications can't find jobs there, so what would I do?"He said life as an overstayer had been tough. "You can't go anywhere," he said. "You have to stay home."
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176105299406149065.webp)
