Stuck by a transit visa hurdle, he has not been able to return to his country for three years.

The 50‑year‑old Sri Lankan Ruchira Ranasinghe has been stranded on the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean for about three years after failing to obtain the transit visas she needed to return to her country. After receiving rejections on all seven applications she made to New Zealand and Australia, the woman is looking for a solution so she can attend her son’s wedding in November.

According to BBC reports, the change in Ranasinghe’s immigration status after she left New Zealand created a major obstacle on her way back to her country. Despite trying different routes, the woman has been unable to reach Sri Lanka and has been living away from her family for years.

She left New Zealand; the path home was closed.

Ranasinghe went to New Zealand on a two‑month visitor visa in December 2022. While her asylum application was being processed, the woman obtained a work permit and started working at a restaurant.

Ranasinghe said the restaurant management had agreed to sponsor her for a work visa, but after her application was rejected she decided to leave New Zealand on the advice of an immigration consultant. Her goal was to re‑apply for a visa from another country.

The woman who went to the Cook Islands on 8 November 2023 wanted to return to Sri Lanka after her work‑visa application there was also rejected. However, leaving New Zealand violated the visa conditions tied to her asylum claim, creating a barrier to re‑entering the country.

All 7 transit visa applications were rejected.

Ranasinghe, who planned to reach Sri Lanka via New Zealand, applied for a transit visa 3 times. However, all his applications were rejected.

In response, the woman who considered the Australian route made 4 separate applications to that country as well. However, she did not receive the response she sought.

The New Zealand Immigration Department cited the lack of sufficient assurance that Ranasinghe would use the country only for transit purposes as the reason for the rejections. Australian authorities, however, did not provide a detailed explanation regarding the woman's application.

Alternative routes were also not a solution.

Ranasinghe, who was researching different travel options via Tahiti and Hawaii to return to his country, also encountered bureaucratic obstacles on those routes.

In the routes in question, her biometric data must be taken in person in New Zealand for the visa procedures to be completed. However, the woman, who does not have permission to re-enter the country, cannot carry out these procedures either.

During her stay in the Cook Islands, she provided Ranasinghe with free accommodation at a hotel. Residents of the area also supported her by offering food and clothing to meet her needs.

Her only wish was to attend her son's wedding.

For about three years, living apart from her family, one of Ranasinghe's biggest sorrows has been being unable to be with her son on his special days. The woman, who wants to attend her son's wedding that is being prepared for in November, said that the uncertainty she faces has worn her out both physically and psychologically.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that steps had been taken to facilitate the return of its citizen to his country. It was reported that officials of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Wellington are maintaining contact with New Zealand authorities.