3. Question No. 3—ImmigrationRICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Associate Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 3—Immigration3. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Associate Minister of Immigration: Is she committed to ensuring that disabled asylum seekers and refugees face no barriers to obtaining residency on the basis of their disability; if so why are their residency applications tested against the acceptable standards of health" requirements?Hon CASEY COSTELLO (Associate Minister of Immigration): New Zealand has made international commitments to refugees and protected persons that we are meeting. Those services are provided by a team of dedicated amazing hard workers who support the refugee programme. Those who have successfully claimed asylum in New Zealand only need to provide a limited medical certificate in their residence applications. This certificate only assesses a small number of the most serious health conditions. Health requirements help us identify and manage the health needs of those refugees and their protection status and understands the support they need when settling in New Zealand as well as considering costs to the public health system. I am advised that between 16 April 2014 and 16 April 2024 only two residence applications for recognised refugee or protected persons were declined based on determinations that an applicant did not meet the acceptable health standards requirements. These applications in both cases were subsequently granted their residence by ministerial intervention.Ricardo Menéndez March: Why then have a policy that creates barriers and hurdles for the proper resettling of asylum seekers and refugees when some of the events that they're escaping create those serious health conditions that she just spoke about?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: I refute the claim that this creates barriers. What it is actually doing is ensuring that those medical needs can be fully assessed and services provided to meet those needs. As I've said there have been none in the last two years that have resulted in a barrier and in addition there is a separate medical refugee quota category of 75 places per annum which will accommodate those high needs that would not meet the criteria.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does she accept that at least 46 people have also been declined on medical grounds across the refugee quota programme and the refugee quota family reunification category and if so does she think that is fair or justified?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: As has been stated on numerous occasions in this category we have to balance the needs of New Zealand's health system and ensure that we are able to meet the needs of those people and in some circumstances there will be considerations that will mean they don't meet the criteria. That is not a barrier for disabled people; that is a barrier for health considerations.Ricardo Menéndez March: Does she think a refugee with renal issues should face delays to be able to properly resettle in Aotearoa after escaping genocide and if not why is the acceptable standard-of-health policy applied to refugees seeking residency visas?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: All I can say again is that there is a limited health assessment applied to assess the needs of those who are entering the refugee programme. That assessment will stand and is an important part of the process.Ricardo Menéndez March: Can she confirm then that people facing issues such as kidney failure could face delays for residency applications that could delay their proper resettlement in Aotearoa or for conditions such as cancer?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: Mr Speaker it's unclear whether he's asking about the refugee programme or a migration programme but as I've stated—yet again—there is a process that needs to be followed to ensure that the medical needs of those who are in the programme are assessed."