'Eye of the storm': Business owner's fight to keep nail tech siblings in country

Whangārei beauty salon owner Anna Vu is struggling to keep her siblings in the country, as she fears her business may suffer without their help. Vu, who owns AV Beauty Spa, has worked in the city for 12 years and has always struggled to find skilled nail technicians and beauty staff, leading her to recruit her three siblings from Vietnam.

The siblings were separated as children due to their father's inability to care for them, with their mother passing away while they were young. They only reunited in 2018 after their father's death in 2017.

Vu's older sister has become a New Zealand resident through the 2021 resident visa pathway, but her two younger siblings are on work visas that will expire in early December, putting them in a difficult position. They do not meet the English language requirements to apply for a residence visa. Vu has written to her local MP, Shane Reti, for assistance, stating that her business would not survive without her siblings.

She recently invested in new, larger premises to accommodate her eight staff members, including her siblings. Vu has been advertising for staff but claims that most trained nail technicians and beauty therapists prefer to work for themselves rather than for someone else. Her siblings pay taxes, are well-paid, and are willing to work the long hours required in the business.

Vu's concern is that she must replace experienced staff with new hires who cannot be found locally. Immigration adviser Katy Armstrong of Into NZ Immigration suggests that Vu seek advice from an immigration adviser or lawyer, as the English language requirement might be just one aspect of her family's problem. She notes that nail technicians and beauty therapists are on Immigration New Zealand's high-risk list and are not eligible for certain pathways to residency.

Armstrong explains that the only way to waive English language requirements is if the minister agrees, which is unlikely. She adds that nail technicians are difficult to bring into the country due to their status on the red list, but they might need to apply for residency and then appeal if turned down, which could be an expensive process.