“I was genuinely happy and excited to see him again, meet his friends, spend time with him, and simply enjoy that family moment.”
Anna Laura Amaral Pimentel Pereira, 27, says , she felt “disrespected” and “humiliated” after Immigration New Zealand denied her entry to New Zealand at the boarding gate. Photo / @candy_girldream_ofc
Pereira used her layover in Chile to print the documents she needed before arriving in New Zealand.
She said her papers were checked, her visa was valid and she only had to wait for boarding.
Then, her name was called to the Latam Airlines counter.
“When I went there, I was informed that I would need to undergo an interview by phone before being allowed to board.
“I agreed without hesitation because I knew that everything was in order and I had absolutely nothing to hide.”
Pereira said immigration authorities asked her to explain the purpose of her trip, her situation at home, where she would stay, who her uncle was, and what they planned to do while staying.
Although she works as an adult content creator in Brazil, Pereira stressed that she never wanted or intended to do so while visiting.
“This was a personal trip to visit a family member, and I had more than sufficient financial resources to support myself throughout my stay,” she said.
“I fully co-operated with everything that was requested of me … in the end, I was not allowed to board.”
While no longer travelling as planned, Pereira said the way her situation was handled by officials left her feeling “intimidated, disrespected, ashamed, and, above all, humiliated”.
“I found myself alone, far from home, without fully understanding what was happening, and feeling as though I were being treated as if I had done something wrong.”
Igor told the Herald he was upset, shocked and angry by the decision, as his niece’s visit would have been the first from a family member in Brazil.
“I don’t understand what happened,” he said.
“She was in Chile crying by herself with no support, everyone looking at her.
“She’s not just my niece, she’s like a daughter to me … I just need to have some answers here.”
Pereira accepted immigration officials reserved the right to interview and carry out checks on inbound passengers, as well as authorise or deny entry.
“What affected me so deeply was the lack of a clear explanation and, most importantly, the way I was treated throughout the entire process,” she said.
“Perhaps what I am hoping for most now is a clearer and more concrete explanation of what happened, and maybe even an apology for the way the situation was handled.
“I know that New Zealand is widely recognised as an LGBTQ+ friendly and welcoming country, which is why I do not want to assume that what happened to me was motivated by prejudice.
“The truth is that I still do not fully understand why I was denied the opportunity to continue my journey.”
INZ’s Auckland border operations director Briar Pelling confirmed Pereira was prevented from boarding a flight from Santiago to New Zealand yesterday.
“We understand this would have been a disappointing experience for Ms Pereira,” she told the Herald.
“However, before someone travels to New Zealand, we must be satisfied that they meet the relevant immigration requirements.”
Pelling said Pereira was referred to immigration authorities for questioning after she was flagged over the last-minute ticket purchases “and publicly available information relating to the nature of her online profile”.
“During that interview, Ms Pereira declined to provide evidence that she had sufficient funds to support herself during her proposed stay.
“She said she was travelling to New Zealand to visit an uncle, but was unable to provide further details about her travel plans.
“Information gathered during the assessment also raised concerns about the accuracy and completeness of information provided about her employment and the nature of her online profile.”
Pelling said border officers decided she did not meet the requirements for entry under the visa waiver settings, “including her inability to provide evidence of sufficient funds to support her visit and concerns about the accuracy and completeness of information provided during the assessment”.
She said visitors must be able to prove they’re a “genuine visitor”, carry enough money to support themselves and comply with all entry conditions, while officials expect the information to be “complete, accurate and truthful”.
“After considering all the available information, border officers were not satisfied that Ms Pereira met the requirements to travel to New Zealand under visa waiver settings.
“As a result, she was denied boarding, her New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) was withdrawn, and her visa waiver status was suspended.”
Pelling said the case was reviewed by a senior border officer before they issued the decision.
“We recognise that this outcome will have been disappointing for Ms Pereira.
“However, INZ has a responsibility to assess the individual circumstances of each traveller and ensure that people seeking to travel to New Zealand meet the relevant immigration requirements.
“These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all of the information available at the time.”
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