The Sunday Star Times reports today the case of Mari McGuire who has renounced her NZ citizenship because the Immigration Service will not grant her husband permanent residence in New Zealand. The couple are now selling their million dollar home north of Auckland and are moving to the United States.

Mrs McGuire has been married to seventy year old husband Barry, the American singing star, for 32 years.

The NZIS says his age and heart condition could make him a burden to New Zealand’s health system.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, an outspoken critic of Asian immigration to New Zealand, said McGuire might have been able to make a case for residence based on his ongoing royalty payments.

Mary Anne Thompson, speaking for the NZIS, said if someone was likely to cost the health system NZ$25,000 or more over four years they would probably be rejected.

“You could be obese and be fine, but you could also be obese and have high blood pressure and palpitations …that would be a higher level of unacceptable risk.”

Where disabled children’s parents were working and paying taxes, the cost was weighed against the family’s “positive contribution”.