Migrants Against the Acceptable Standard of Health Aotearoa (MAASHA) has released an open letter detailing the discrimination caused by immigration requirements, which consider disabled migrants and those with health conditions to be cost burdens.
The letter calls on all political parties to commit to abolishing the Acceptable Standard of Health (ASH) immigration instructions and to upholding migrant human rights in law, policy and practice.
The letter outlines that:
“The ASH requirements restrict visa eligibility by reducing impacted immigrants, refugees and families to a presumed cost to health and/or education services, rather than seeing them as valued human beings who will contribute to our communities in a diversity of ways.
“The criteria usually impact disabled people, people with health conditions, people with high BMI, people with gender-related healthcare needs, and families with disabled children in education.”
We are one of 22 organisations that have co-signed the letter.
Find out more about the call to abolish ASH and co-sign the letter.