Sri Lankan woman stranded on Cook Islands for three years after bad advice

A 50-year-old Sri Lankan woman named Ruchira Ranasingha has found herself stranded on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific for three years following poor immigration advice, according to a BBC report. Ranasingha originally left Sri Lanka in 2018 after closing a small T-shirt factory and later moved to New Zealand in December 2022. While living there on a visit visa, she applied for asylum due to financial threats in Sri Lanka and was granted an open work visa.

After finding restaurant work, she sought longer-term stability through an employment visa. However, an immigration firm named Immigration & Secretarial Services advised her to temporarily leave New Zealand to apply from overseas. Following this guidance, she travelled to the Cook Islands, only to have her new visa application rejected. By leaving New Zealand, she breached the terms of her existing visa, leading authorities to refuse future entry or transit permissions.

The Transit Visa Dilemma on the Cook Islands

Ranasingha has since faced repeated rejections when attempting to leave the island territory. New Zealand authorities denied multiple transit visa applications, stating they were not convinced she had a genuine intention to transit rather than seek further asylum. Australia also refused transit visas, while alternative flight paths through Hawaii or Tahiti require in-person biometric submissions in New Zealand.

Auckland-based immigration lawyer Alastair McClymont noted that Ranasingha fell victim to misleading guidance from unregulated consultants. Immigration New Zealand explained that security measures such as escorts or handcuffs do not prevent individuals from lodging asylum claims upon arrival, contributing to the strict refusal stance. Meanwhile, Australia’s interior ministry declined to comment on individual cases.

Family Strain and Official Response

Stranded far from home, Ranasingha has received local support, staying in hotel staff accommodation and receiving food and clothing from residents. However, the prolonged isolation has severely impacted her health and mental wellbeing as she misses family milestones, including her only child’s upcoming wedding.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry stated it is taking steps to facilitate her return, with officials from the Sri Lankan High Commission in Wellington coordinating with New Zealand authorities. Her family continues to seek diplomatic assistance to secure her safe repatriation from the South Pacific.

Source: I've been stuck on a tiny Pacific island for years and can't get a transit visa to fly home (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-31T23:06:13+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.