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A High Court ruling that Immigration New Zealand was wrong to stop processing refugee visa applications due to Covid border restruction has given hope to a group of 70 Afghan nationals trying to get here. But there are now concerns that MFAT, which has been facilitating emergency flights out of Afghanistan, is about to shut down for summer, and may hinder arrivals into New Zealand for weeks. The ruling came after a judicial review by Community Law on behalf of more than 70 Afghans who applied for residence visas before last year's lockdown. The High Court said the rules in place at the time the visa applications were made must stand, and that applying new ones - such as Covid restrictions - fell outside the law. Kathryn speaks with Angela Smith, legal services manager at Community Law Waikato.
A view after an explosion reported outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. Photo: AFP