# Sri Lankan woman remains stranded in Cook Islands after visa refusals

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ive-been-stuck-on-a-tiny-pacific-island-for-years-and-cant-get-a-transit-visa-to-fly-home/
- Published: 2026-10-31T23:06:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T23:22:13+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmq5npz5l5geo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Ruchira Ranasingha has been stranded in the Cook Islands for three years.
- New Zealand and Australia have rejected her transit visa applications.
- She wants to return to Sri Lanka for her son’s wedding.

## Summary

Ruchira Ranasingha, a Sri Lankan woman, has been unable to leave the Cook Islands for three years after visa applications left her without a feasible route home. The case highlights how immigration decisions and transit requirements can combine to leave someone stranded far from family.

Ranasingha left Sri Lanka in 2018 and later sought asylum in New Zealand, where she received a one-year open work visa. She says an immigration adviser recommended travelling to the Cook Islands to apply for an employment visa from overseas; after it was refused, her departure breached her existing visa conditions. New Zealand rejected three transit visa applications and Australia rejected four, while other routes require biometric checks in New Zealand. She hopes to attend her son’s wedding in November and return to her mother.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.