You can't get here from there.
February 10 2017
As if today, we think this:
Unlike millions of Americans, the team at Two Weeks Ago News has spent some time reading the immigration laws and policies of the United States. (For fun – and yes, we understand that our idea of fun is probably different from yours - we also read up on how to emigrate to New Zealand. More on that later.)
After reading the bits about “Criminal and related grounds,” we’re surprised anyone with even a hint of depraved behavior can get over our borders. It says as much. The very first sub-heading reads that no one will be admitted “who has committed, or admits to committing acts which constitute the elements of
So basically: no criminals guilty of moral turpitude (What? Moral what? Unless it was against the government) and no drug dealers.
All of that’s true, unless:
I. The crime was committed when the alien was under 18 years of age, and the crime was committed (and the alien released from any confinement to prison or correctional institution imposed for the crime) more than 5 years before the date of the application for a visa or other documentation and the date of the application for admission to the United States.
OR
II. The maximum penalty possible for the crime of which the alien was convicted (or which the alien admits having committed or of which the acts that the alien admits having committed constituted the essential elements) did not exceed imprisonment for one year and, if the alien was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in excess of 6 months (regardless of the extent to which the sentence was ultimately executed.)
Got it?
We could do this all night at Two Weeks Ago News but we won’t. The Visa Ineligibilities section alone has ten main sub-sections and dozens of bullets contained in each. No thank you. We simply can’t read that much legal language without wanting to weep bitterly. Also, as much as we want to be a resource you can trust, anyone with a library card or a laptop can look this up and read every word. So feel free to do so.
Let’s go down under instead. What follows was lifted directly from immigration.govt.nz. It’s found under their “Character and identity” section and we didn’t change a word. Please keep that in mind and compare it to the four sections we listed above related to the United States’ rules about character and criminal hijinks.
Good character – residence:
To apply for a resident or permanent resident visa, you must be of good character.
Applicants for all visas must be of good character, not pose a security risk and not threaten New Zealand’s international reputation.
People with serious character issues can’t be granted any visa or entry permission, except in very special circumstances.
People with other character issues must have the good character requirement waived before they can be granted residence.
Serious character issues
You can't be granted a visa if you:
Character issues that require a character waiver
You will also not meet our character requirements for residence if you:
If your character may prevent us from granting you a visa, you should provide a full explanation about the character issue, with supporting evidence when you apply.
We will use we this information to consider waiving the character requirement or granting a special direction for very serious character issues.
Character issues that will delay your residence application
Your application for residence will be deferred if:
In these circumstances we will defer the residence application for 6 months to allow the potential issue to be resolved. Further deferrals may be made if needed.
Huh.
First: dishonesty? Convicted of dishonesty? Okay.
Second: Ever been convicted of a crime of a sexual nature? You’re out. Or more correctly – you’re never getting in.
Third: You’ve made racists statements. Sorry, that idea of free speech? How very American of you. This is New Zealand, baby. We don’t admit racists into our country.
So all we have to say is: Hurrah New Zealand. Good for you.
And as far as our own immigration policy in the United States, we’re sure of this. Good, dedicated, hard-working people are on the job daily, working with good, dedicated, hard-working people who would like to make their home in this country. It can’t be simple and based on the tiny fraction of reading we did, we know the job is littered with sections of law sub-sections, rules, exceptions and God knows how much paperwork.
All we can do when we see injustice, or find ourselves outraged at the decisions being made, or regarding the Executive Orders are drafted - especially the one from almost two weeks ago, more tomorrow - is educate ourselves. No doubt some of the anger and condemnation is warranted - no doubt about it. None. It's also possible that sometimes it's not. So the best course of action for thinking people is to get the story for ourselves and understand the nuance and reasoning behind the activity, even activity we ourselves see as despicable. Let's try to find out, free of passion or prejudice as Reese Witherspoon (and apparently Aristotle) once said. Is it? Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe we’re naïve here at Two Weeks Ago News but we’re also sure of this: Good people doing good things will prevail. Not without pain. Not without anxiety or lives being outrageously and needlessly disrupted. Not without causing extreme distress and emotional turmoil. That is almost unforgivable. But read this, and tell us we’re wrong.
As if today, we think this:
Unlike millions of Americans, the team at Two Weeks Ago News has spent some time reading the immigration laws and policies of the United States. (For fun – and yes, we understand that our idea of fun is probably different from yours - we also read up on how to emigrate to New Zealand. More on that later.)
After reading the bits about “Criminal and related grounds,” we’re surprised anyone with even a hint of depraved behavior can get over our borders. It says as much. The very first sub-heading reads that no one will be admitted “who has committed, or admits to committing acts which constitute the elements of
- A crime involving moral turpitude (other than purely political offenses) or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such a crime, or
- A violation of (or a conspiracy or attempt to violate) any law or regulation of a State, the United States, or a foreign country - we think that covers everywhere, right?? – relating to a controlled substance (as defined in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C.802)), is inadmissible.”
So basically: no criminals guilty of moral turpitude (What? Moral what? Unless it was against the government) and no drug dealers.
All of that’s true, unless:
I. The crime was committed when the alien was under 18 years of age, and the crime was committed (and the alien released from any confinement to prison or correctional institution imposed for the crime) more than 5 years before the date of the application for a visa or other documentation and the date of the application for admission to the United States.
OR
II. The maximum penalty possible for the crime of which the alien was convicted (or which the alien admits having committed or of which the acts that the alien admits having committed constituted the essential elements) did not exceed imprisonment for one year and, if the alien was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in excess of 6 months (regardless of the extent to which the sentence was ultimately executed.)
Got it?
We could do this all night at Two Weeks Ago News but we won’t. The Visa Ineligibilities section alone has ten main sub-sections and dozens of bullets contained in each. No thank you. We simply can’t read that much legal language without wanting to weep bitterly. Also, as much as we want to be a resource you can trust, anyone with a library card or a laptop can look this up and read every word. So feel free to do so.
Let’s go down under instead. What follows was lifted directly from immigration.govt.nz. It’s found under their “Character and identity” section and we didn’t change a word. Please keep that in mind and compare it to the four sections we listed above related to the United States’ rules about character and criminal hijinks.
Good character – residence:
To apply for a resident or permanent resident visa, you must be of good character.
Applicants for all visas must be of good character, not pose a security risk and not threaten New Zealand’s international reputation.
People with serious character issues can’t be granted any visa or entry permission, except in very special circumstances.
People with other character issues must have the good character requirement waived before they can be granted residence.
Serious character issues
You can't be granted a visa if you:
- have ever been convicted of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 5 years or more
- have been convicted in the last 10 years of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or longer
- are prohibited from entering New Zealand
- have ever been removed, excluded or deported from any country.
- are likely to commit an offence in our country that is punishable by imprisonment
- are likely to be a risk to security
- are likely to be a threat to public order
- are likely to be a risk to the public interest.
Character issues that require a character waiver
You will also not meet our character requirements for residence if you:
- have ever made or provided false or misleading information, or withheld material information when applying for a New Zealand visa, or when supporting another person’s New Zealand visa application
- have ever been convicted of an offence against immigration, citizenship or passport laws in any country
- have ever been convicted of an offence involving:
- violence
- prohibited drugs
- dishonesty
- have ever been convicted of an offence of a sexual nature
- have ever been convicted of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment
- have, while holding a temporary New Zealand visa, or while unlawfully in our new Zealand, been convicted of an offence in any country for which the court had the power to imprison you for three months or longer.
- have been convicted in the last five years of an offence involving:
- dangerous driving
- drunk driving
- driving after consuming drugs
- have ever publicly made a racist statement
- have ever been a member of a racist group
If your character may prevent us from granting you a visa, you should provide a full explanation about the character issue, with supporting evidence when you apply.
We will use we this information to consider waiving the character requirement or granting a special direction for very serious character issues.
Character issues that will delay your residence application
Your application for residence will be deferred if:
- You are under investigation, wanted for questioning, or have been charged with an offence which, if you are convicted would be considered a serious character issue or would require you to be granted a character waiver, as described above
- There is an active arrest warrant for you in any country
- Your residence application is based on a relationship to a person whose own New Zealand residence status is under investigation.
In these circumstances we will defer the residence application for 6 months to allow the potential issue to be resolved. Further deferrals may be made if needed.
Huh.
First: dishonesty? Convicted of dishonesty? Okay.
Second: Ever been convicted of a crime of a sexual nature? You’re out. Or more correctly – you’re never getting in.
Third: You’ve made racists statements. Sorry, that idea of free speech? How very American of you. This is New Zealand, baby. We don’t admit racists into our country.
So all we have to say is: Hurrah New Zealand. Good for you.
And as far as our own immigration policy in the United States, we’re sure of this. Good, dedicated, hard-working people are on the job daily, working with good, dedicated, hard-working people who would like to make their home in this country. It can’t be simple and based on the tiny fraction of reading we did, we know the job is littered with sections of law sub-sections, rules, exceptions and God knows how much paperwork.
All we can do when we see injustice, or find ourselves outraged at the decisions being made, or regarding the Executive Orders are drafted - especially the one from almost two weeks ago, more tomorrow - is educate ourselves. No doubt some of the anger and condemnation is warranted - no doubt about it. None. It's also possible that sometimes it's not. So the best course of action for thinking people is to get the story for ourselves and understand the nuance and reasoning behind the activity, even activity we ourselves see as despicable. Let's try to find out, free of passion or prejudice as Reese Witherspoon (and apparently Aristotle) once said. Is it? Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe we’re naïve here at Two Weeks Ago News but we’re also sure of this: Good people doing good things will prevail. Not without pain. Not without anxiety or lives being outrageously and needlessly disrupted. Not without causing extreme distress and emotional turmoil. That is almost unforgivable. But read this, and tell us we’re wrong.