Officials back down on visiting babysitter

Immigration admits it made mistakes after Chilean woman turned around at airport and sent home.

Immigration officials have admitted acting too quickly in the case of the teenager from Chile kicked out of New Zealand after suspicion she would earn money babysitting.

The West Auckland family of Javiera Opazo Garcia were last night looking forward to welcoming the 19-year-old back to New Zealand months after she was told she was not welcome here.

The decision comes three months after Ms Opazo Garcia was turned around at the airport after she told officials she intended looking after her 3-year-old niece while in the country visiting her sister, Marilo Harpley.

Her plans to spend time with Ariel were interpreted as a plan to work which - along with arriving with just US$100 - had her refused a tourist visa and sent back to Chile.

The decision upset Ms Harpley and the Kiwi family into which she married four years ago who did not understand why they could not support her stay, just as the Chilean family had supported them during visits.

Late yesterday, a letter from Immigration NZ's national manager Senta Jehle said the agency had done everything properly but could have done it better. She said the review carried out showed the process had been followed - but a different decision was now being made.

"However, with the benefit of the review and new information that has been provided to INZ since the decision, I accept that the exercise of discretion to issue a visa ... should have been more carefully considered and a more obvious weighing and balancing of the risks should have occurred."

She said Ms Opazo Garcia had recently been offered a three-month limited visa but she was now welcome to apply to stay longer without cost. "Immigration NZ will reinstate Ms Opazo Garcia's ability to travel to New Zealand visa-free."

Kim Harpley, Ms Harpley's mother-in-law, said the family were pleased Immigration had taken a different approach but still wanted answers over aspects of Ms Opazo Garcia's treatment. Her rejection at the border put the teen on an international watch-list which saw her grilled by police on her return to Chile.

She was also eager to see increased flexibility and oversight around how decisions were made because others had also been turned around in similar situations. "These people need to know there are roads they can travel to get things rectified."