The family of a Sri Lankan woman who has been stuck in the Cook Islands for three years because Australia and New Zealand have repeatedly declined her transit visa requests says her mental state is not good.
Ruchira Ranasingha, 50, fled Sri Lanka hoping to settle in New Zealand but ended up stranded after a disastrous decision to leave the country for a short stay in the Cook Islands after making a work visa application while on an asylum seeker open work visa. Cook Islands News reported she arrived there in November 2023 and had been unable to leave since.
Both New Zealand and Australian immigration authorities have rejected her transit visa applications multiple times. Ranasingha told the BBC that her only son is getting married this month, and 'I really want to be there for his wedding.' Her mother is constantly in and out of hospital with worry.
According to her brother, who spoke to BBC Sinhala, Ranasingha left Sri Lanka in 2018 after facing financial pressure and being unable to repay loans after closing her T-shirt factory. Her husband, a drug addict, died about seven years ago. He told the BBC that she said, 'if they were not willing to get her back home alive, they might at least repatriate her body.'
Immigration New Zealand said it would not comment on her case, citing privacy, but noted concerns about her intentions. The agency Ranasingha claims put her in this situation, Immigration & Secretarial Services, did not respond to the BBC.
Ranasingha told Cook Islands News she was willing to be detained if it satisfied authorities she only wanted to return to Sri Lanka. She described living without her family for three years as 'torture,' but added she was 'luckier than others in her position' because the hotel where she is staying in Rarotonga lets her stay free, locals provide food and clothing, and a director gave her a sewing machine for small income.
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said it was taking all necessary steps to facilitate her return to Sri Lanka from the Cook Islands. It said officials of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Wellington and relevant New Zealand authorities were working closely with the ministry. Last week, a Wellington-based charity told RNZ Pacific it had offered to escort Ranasingha back home.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Ruchira Ranasingha's case illustrates the human toll of strict immigration transit policies, leaving a person in legal limbo for years.
- The story highlights a gap in responsibility between countries, with neither New Zealand nor Australia granting a transit visa, while the woman remains stranded in a third country.
- Her son's upcoming wedding and her mother's worsening health underscore the personal cost of bureaucratic deadlock.
Background
Ranasingha left Sri Lanka in 2018 after financial difficulties forced her to close her small factory and following her husband's death. She arrived in New Zealand on an asylum seeker open work visa, then made what she described as a disastrous decision to travel to the Cook Islands while applying for another work visa, leaving her unable to return. She has been stranded since November 2023.
Key Perspectives
Ruchira Ranasingha: says she wants to attend her son's wedding and return to Sri Lanka, or be repatriated if not allowed back alive.
Immigration New Zealand: would not comment on her case but noted concerns about her intentions.
Sri Lanka foreign ministry: said it is taking all necessary steps to facilitate her return, working with New Zealand authorities.
Brother (speaking to BBC Sinhala): says her mental state is not good and she has expressed fear for her life.
Wellington-based charity: last week offered to escort her back home.
Immigration & Secretarial Services (agency Ranasingha blames): did not respond to the BBC.
What to Watch
- Whether she will be able to travel to her son's wedding this month.
- Outcome of Sri Lanka's diplomatic efforts and any action by New Zealand or Australian authorities.
- Impact of the charity offer and potential public pressure on the governments to resolve the situation.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe family fears for a Sri Lankan woman stranded in the Cook Islands for three years.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “The family of a Sri Lankan woman who has been stuck in the Cook Islands for three years because Australia and New Zealand refuse to let her transit warns that her "mental state is not good".”
- SupportedRanasingha has been unable to leave since November 2023 after Australia and New Zealand repeatedly rejected her transit applications.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “The newspaper reported that she had arrived in the Cook Islands in November 2023 and had been unable to leave since then. [...] Both New Zealand and Australian immigration authorities have rejected her transit visa applications multiple times.”
- SupportedHer family says her mental state is not good.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “The family of a Sri Lankan woman who has been stuck in the Cook Islands for three years because Australia and New Zealand refuse to let her transit warns that her "mental state is not good".”
- SupportedRanasingha told the BBC, “I really want to be there for his wedding,” and her only son is getting married this month.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “Ranasingha told the BBC that her only son is getting married this month, and "I really want to be there for his wedding."”
- Partly supportedRanasingha’s mother is constantly in and out of hospital with worry.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “"My mother is so worried about what has happened to me that she is constantly in and out of hospital," she was quoted as saying by the BBC.”
- SupportedHer brother told the BBC, “if they were not willing to get her back home alive, they might at least repatriate her body.”RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “"One of the times we spoke [with Ranasingha], she told me that if they were not willing to get her back home alive, they might at least repatriate her body," he told the BBC.”
- SupportedImmigration New Zealand declined to comment on her case, citing privacy, but noted concerns about her intentions.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “Immigration New Zealand said it would not comment on her case, citing privacy concerns. However, it noted concerns about her intentions.”
- SupportedImmigration & Secretarial Services did not respond to the BBC.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “Immigration & Secretarial Services, the agency Ranasingha claims got her in this situation, did not respond to the BBC.”
- SupportedRanasingha was willing to be detained if that would satisfy authorities that she only wanted to return to Sri Lanka.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “Ranasingha has told the Cook Islands News that she was willing to be detained if it satisfied authorities that she had no intention other than to return to Sri Lanka.”
- Partly supportedShe described living without her family for three years as “torture,” then added that she was “luckier than others in her position” because of the help she received.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “She described living without seeing her family for three years as "torture". But she told the BBC that she was "luckier than others in her position" because the hotel at which she is staying at in Rarotonga was letting her stay free of charge in its staff accommodation and locals providing her with food and clothing.”
- SupportedSri Lanka’s foreign ministry said it was taking all necessary steps to facilitate Ranasingha’s return.RNZ New Zealand Headlines: “According to the BBC, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said it was "taking all necessary steps to facilitate her return to Sri Lanka from the Cook Islands".”