But her mother, Betty Wihongi, said Everlee Wihongi had travelled in and out of the country several times on her green card without ever being asked to declare her convictions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just assuming that he\u2019s saying that she had to declare it on entry into the US. As a green card holder, there\u2019s none of that. You would just go in. I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters. Photo \/ Sylvie Whinray <\/p>\n
She said Peters should spend more time talking to staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to try to help her daughter, instead of commenting about her daughter\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n
Her daughter had had to apply to renew her green card, which included a thorough background check, and the conviction was not a problem, she said.<\/p>\n
Peters said he had nothing to add about Betty Wihongi\u2019s comments, but that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was providing consular support to Everlee Wihongi.<\/p>\n
He said for privacy reasons, he was unable to comment further on the details of the case.<\/p>\n
Betty Wihongi said her daughter\u2019s court date had been set to June 10, and Everlee Wihongi was \u201cvery anxious\u201d about what would happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s demoralising being where she is and I think it\u2019s hard for everyone in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Applicants advised to be upfront<\/p>\n
A consultant who helps New Zealanders with US visa processes says New Zealanders with a US green card should be upfront about any previous convictions when entering the US.<\/p>\n
Kevin Park, who runs Concord Visa\u2019s New Zealand branch, said a green card is not a passport and does not mean guaranteed rights to re-enter the US each time.<\/p>\n
He said New Zealanders with a US green card who had prior convictions should seek advice before they travel out, on what re-entering could look like.<\/p>\n
Park said what New Zealanders may consider as small charges \u2013 such as possession of marijuana \u2013 could be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
Kevin Park runs Concord Visa’s New Zealand branch.<\/p>\n
He said it was difficult to say what could happen to Wihongi without knowing all the facts, but he said any false declaration at the border would not have helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that there could be … a lie \u2013 a tick box that said no criminal convictions \u2013 that could be a worse outcome, and it could\u2019ve been a different result if they declared early on this, and dealt with it head-on, so I think it\u2019s probably not going to be helping this case at all if indeed she wrote no,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said previous convictions were also getting picked up earlier with anyone applying for the Approved Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).<\/p>\n
Any declarations of previous convictions in the ESTA process could lead to a denial of entry, or a request for an interview, Park said.<\/p>\n