Sharukh had ticked every box but one. A rare blood disorder found during his residence medical put both his application and his life at risk. This is what happened next, in his words and ours.
Sharukh is not his real name. His identity and nationality remain anonymous at his request, and the photograph used is a stock image.
| Client | Transport sector worker, three years in New Zealand. Name changed, nationality withheld. |
| Application | Residence, under a work to residence category |
| The problem | A rare genetic blood disorder identified in his residence medical, declining his application on health grounds |
| First advice received | Withdraw the application |
| Time remaining | Two weeks left on his work visa |
| What we did | Interim visa to protect his right to work, then a full medical waiver request |
| Outcome | Medical waiver approved. Residence approved. Treatment pathway now open. |
Two brothers, two outcomes
Sharukh’s brother came to New Zealand first. He worked, applied for residence and was granted it. Sharukh followed him out, into a transport sector role in an industry crying out for people.
“He applied for his residency and he got his residency, and then I was left behind.”
Sharukh was well when he arrived. His work visa required a full medical and he passed it. Nothing was flagged.
A diagnosis nobody saw coming
Three years later he applied for residence from inside New Zealand, which meant a second medical. This time his platelet count was flagged.
What followed was a bone marrow test, a skin biopsy, and a six-month wait for results.
“Because of all of these, the results and the specialist report, the visa was on hold, and it took a lot of time.”
The results confirmed a rare genetic blood disorder. It is treatable, but only with a stem cell transplant, and doctors in his home country confirmed they do not offer that procedure. Treatment in New Zealand could cost as much as $500,000, although later research put the likely figure closer to $300,000.
His condition appears on Immigration New Zealand’s list of conditions considered likely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand’s health services. Residence applicants must have an acceptable standard of health. Sharukh did not meet it, and that alone was enough for INZ to decline his application.
Everything else about his case was sound. He met every requirement of the category. His work history checked out. His paperwork checked out. His doctors confirmed he was fit, active, and still working full time.
“It’s better you withdraw the case”
Sharukh had engaged an adviser at the start, on a colleague’s recommendation. When the health issue surfaced, the advice was blunt: withdraw.
He pushed back and asked whether there was anything else he could try.
“I just wanted to give it a last try. Rather than wasting my fees and all. I even passed my exam at the first stage. I’ve done everything, I’ve ticked all the boxes. Just this.”
The answer came back the same. There was no chance. Better to withdraw and walk away.
A medical waiver was never raised.
Alongside that, Sharukh was getting very little communication.
“He was just sitting with my case, not even telling me what’s the next step. He was not even sharing what the agent from immigration had replied to him. He wasn’t bothered about it in the least.”
And his time was running out. His three-year work visa was weeks away from expiring.
Finding Visa Matters
The first lead came from his haematologist, who mentioned another patient in a similar position who had won residence with a lawyer’s help. Sharukh emailed that lawyer. He received no reply.
So he searched online and found Ankur Sabharwal.
“I researched about him a little bit, and it was quite impressive. I emailed a couple of other legal advisers as well. They responded really late. Ankur was the first one. I emailed him and I got the reply instantly.”
By then, Sharukh had two weeks left on his visa.
“I really had no time.”
The first two moves
Ankur’s first reaction was to review the advice Sharukh had already been given. A medical waiver is a formal part of INZ’s own policy, written for situations exactly like this one. It should have been on the table.
“He was angry that my other adviser would suggest I withdraw my case.”
The immediate priority was to stop the clock. Immigration New Zealand put Sharukh on an interim visa so he kept the right to work while the waiver request was prepared.
Then came the conversation Sharukh describes as the turning point. Ankur set out the process step by step and was honest about what he could and could not control.
“He explained how things would work out, and that at the end of the day it will be INZ’s decision, not his decision. He said he will give his best shot. It’s just a matter of trying. I said okay, at least there’s some hope there.”
“I was really happy with what was happening.”
Building the case
A medical waiver asks INZ to look past a health condition that would otherwise end a residence application. It is not a loophole, and it is not handed out easily. It has to be earned with evidence.
Sharukh’s waiver request was built on four fronts.
- The real cost of treatment. Rather than avoid the number, we established it and put it in front of INZ. The upper estimate was $500,000. Research confirmed a figure closer to $300,000. Being upfront about the true financial picture mattered more than making it look small.
- The prognosis. Medical evidence set out what would happen with treatment and without it. With treatment, Sharukh would be cured. Without it, he would die. This was the single most important piece of evidence in the case.
- The absence of an alternative. The treatment was not available in his home country. If he could not stay in New Zealand, there was nowhere else for him to turn.
- His ties to New Zealand. His brother lives here permanently, so Sharukh’s connection to the country went well beyond his job.
Each piece did a job. Together they told one simple story: a young man who had met every other requirement, facing a life-threatening condition, who could only be treated here, and who already had close family here.
You can read more about how the process works in our medical waivers guide.
The decision
INZ approved the medical waiver. Soon after, they approved Sharukh’s residence application.
The cost was never hidden. INZ granted the waiver with the full figure in front of them. They weighed the cost of the treatment against the cost of a life, and they chose the life.
What it changed
Sharukh went from two weeks away from losing his place in New Zealand to holding residence. As a resident, he can now access treatment through the public health system like anyone else.
“Previously I felt like I was in a coma. I was like a dead body living. And now I feel really happy.”
He has already sent his visa approval through to his haematologist. He is on the waiting list, and the search for a donor can begin.
“Back in my home country there’s no treatment for this. My family had lost hope. Even myself, I had lost hope. He really did change my life.”
What this case shows
- A serious health condition does not automatically end a residence application. Pathways like the medical waiver exist for exactly these situations. They are not automatic, and they are not easy to win.
- Advice to withdraw is not always the end of the road. If an application is about to be given up on, it is worth a second opinion before anything is signed.
- Evidence decides the outcome. INZ needs to see the real cost, the real prognosis, the real absence of alternatives, and the real connection to New Zealand, all properly backed up.
- Timing matters. Sharukh came to us with two weeks left, which is very little room to work in. Protecting his right to stay and work came before anything else.
- Every case turns on its own facts. Whether a waiver is open to you, and what evidence would carry it, is a judgement your adviser needs to make with your full situation in front of them.
“I work within the rules, and the rules allow for compassion. Behind every visa application is a person, with work, family, hope, and plans. Sharukh’s file was never just a costing exercise. It was a man’s life.”
Ankur Sabharwal, Principal Immigration Adviser, Visa Matters
We asked Sharukh to describe Visa Matters in three words.
“I don’t have any words. I’ll say it’s perfect. He’s perfect. Professional.”
Sharukh, residence approved 2026
Need help with a health-related visa issue?
If a health condition is putting your residence application at risk, or you have been told to withdraw, talk to us before you make that decision.
Read our Medical Waiver Guide, or get in touch to talk to one of our licensed advisers.
