“Deporting my Child is Like Cutting off my Arm”: Nelson Nurse Battles to Keep Autistic Son in NZ
By Lions Roar News National Desk
NELSON, NEW ZEALAND (December 25, 2025) – A Christmas of “fear and heartbreak” has descended on a Nelson family as they face the potential deportation of their five-year-old autistic son. Despite both parents serving as essential healthcare workers on the front lines of New Zealand’s aged care sector, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has denied young Aidhan Nithin a visa, citing potential costs to the taxpayer.1
The case has ignited a massive community backlash, with over 4,000 people signing petitions and hundreds rallying in the streets of Nelson to demand “compassion over cold bureaucracy.”
🏥 Essential Workers, Impossible Choice
Nithin Mankeel and his wife Aparna Jayandhan Geetha moved to New Zealand from India to fill critical gaps in the healthcare workforce.2 Nithin is a registered nurse in elder care, while Aparna works as a senior healthcare assistant.3
While the parents were granted residency under the Green List “straight-to-residence” pathway in June, their son Aidhan was left behind.4 After an autism diagnosis, INZ determined the boy did not meet the “Acceptable Standard of Health” (ASH) requirements.
The Timeline of a Crisis:
- March 2025: New, stricter immigration health rules are introduced, making it harder for children with developmental disabilities to secure waivers.5
- July 2025: Aidhan’s visitor visa is declined, leaving him unlawful in New Zealand and liable for deportation.6
- December 2025: Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk declines two separate appeals for intervention, stating there is no “compelling new information.”7
“It’s really heartbreaking,” Nithin Mankeel told reporters. “We left everything in India to come here and serve the elderly in this community. Now, they want to separate us. Deporting my child is like cutting off my arm.”
🗣️ A Community Roars for Aidhan
The Nelson community has refused to stay silent.8 At a recent rally, nearly 200 locals—including former patients and colleagues—gathered to support the family.9
Rachel Boyack, MP for Nelson, has championed the family’s cause, calling the situation “deeply unfair.”10
“You can’t recruit essential health workers and then deport their children,” Boyack said. “If Aidhan is forced to leave, this family will leave, and that will be a massive loss for Nelson’s healthcare system.”11
| Support Metrics | Impact |
| Main Petition | 4,000+ Signatures (Calling for a rethink of the decision) |
| Second Petition | Calls on Parliament to abolish ASH requirements for disabled children |
| Local Support | 200+ protesters at the Nelson City Centre rally |
🏛️ The Official Stand: “System Sustainability”
Immigration New Zealand maintains that the rules must be applied consistently to protect the sustainability of the country’s health and education systems.12
Jeannie Melville, INZ Deputy Chief Operating Officer, stated that while the agency understands the family’s challenge, health requirements are “very specific” and designed to balance individual cases against national resources.13 INZ is currently reviewing a Section 61 request—a final discretionary plea that could temporarily restore Aidhan’s legal status.14
