Atul was on a work visa, and Neisha was on the spouse-dependent visa which was due to expire in August 2018.
They had applied for visitor visa after Atul’s death. Now, the life is in a perilous state for the daughter-mum duo as their visa is about to expire.
Neisha’s daughter is studying in year nine.
“I cannot go back to my home country. I have no family there to support. Essentially, I have nowhere to go,” Ms Tandon told .
Life had not been easy for Neisha. According to a fund-raising appeal posted by Ms Bhavna Kaul, this was Neisha’ second marriage. “Neisha is from India and was first married in 2004 when she was 23 into a family who was dowry seekers. She then gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, but her husband and in-laws did not want a girl child. Neisha very bravely walked out of her marriage with her 6-month-old daughter and decided to bring her up as a single mother,” the fund-raising appeal reads.
Atul and Neisha got married in 2012, and in 2014 they moved to New Zealand in the hope for a better life. That hope was crushed by Atul’s death.
Now, Neisha cannot work. She has lodged a visa application. She has also approached Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern among other authorities. However, the prospects look bleak at this moment.
The community is raising funds to help Neisha and her daughter. “The funds will be spent on getting Neisha a place to stay and living costs for Neisha and her daughter. Any additional funds will be used to help Neisha study and gain a New Zealand qualification and also for her daughter's schooling,” the appeal says.
