Woman stranded in Cook Islands for three years seeks transit visa to return home

Ruchira Ranasingha, 50, has been stuck in the Cook Islands for three years and wants to return to Sri Lanka, BBC reported. She initially left Sri Lanka nearly a decade ago and has faced complications after seeking asylum and attempting to apply for a work visa.

Ranasingha said she followed an immigration adviser's advice to temporarily exit New Zealand to apply for a work visa, but her application was rejected. Leaving New Zealand breached the terms of her existing asylum-linked visa, leading New Zealand to refuse issuing her a transit visa to fly home.

Australia has also refused to issue her a transit visa. The only other international destinations she can fly to from the Cook Islands are Tahiti and Hawaii, but both require biometric information to be given in New Zealand before visa processing, which she cannot access.

Ranasingha expressed a strong desire to return home, mentioning her son's upcoming wedding and her mother's health concerns. She said she is willing to comply with any conditions to be allowed to return to Sri Lanka.

She left Sri Lanka in 2018 after closing her small business due to financial difficulties and moved to Hong Kong to work as a domestic caregiver, according to the BBC report.