[(Title)] Elderly parents of migrants left in limbo over visa changes.

Elderly overseas parents desperate to join their children in New Zealand say the government is sweeping their plight under the carpet after failing to announce what it will do about the residence parent category.

一些迫切希望能与居住在新西兰的子女团聚的海外大龄父母说，政府并未宣布父母签证的最新政策调整，使他们处于迷茫的困境之中。

The previous government froze the residence category that allowed parents to join their children in October 2016 while it was reviewed.

前政府于2016年10月冻结了允许父母探亲的签证类别。

In September last year, Immigration New Zealand said work was continuing on the review, and recommendations were expected to be reported to the minister of immigration by the end of the year.

去年9月，新西兰移民局表示，审查工作仍在继续，预计到年底将向移民部长报告有关建议。

Scottish farmer David Kerr and wife Julia Kerr said they had been waiting two-and-a-half years to find out if they could join their two daughters and five grandchildren in Sumner, Christchurch.

苏格兰农民戴维·克里和夫人朱莉娅·克里表示，他们等待了两年半，依然不确定自己能否与居住在克莱斯特切奇的两个女儿和五个孙子一起生活。

They have written to the government saying they were desperate to know their future.

他们致函政府说，他们迫切想知道自己的未来。

"We have no other children and are missing being with them full time," they said in an email.

他们在一封电子邮件中说：“我们没有其他孩子，很想念和他们一起生活的日子。

"At the time of closing the door to the parent category, we thought we were probably near the top of the pile, so you can see how frustrated and sad we are feeling.

“在政府决定关闭家长探亲签证的时候，我们以为自己很快就能去看孩子，所以你想象得到我们当时有多难受。

"Also, time is ticking on and no one knows how many more years of active retirement we have."

“而且，时间一分一秒过去，没人知道我们还剩下多少健康快乐的晚年。

"I do fully understand we have no rights to come to New Zealand but I just feel the government maybe should just tell us what's going on ... just keep us informed somehow," Mr Kerr said.

克里先生说：“我完全明白，我们没有权利来新西兰，但我只觉得政府也许应该告诉我们发生了什么……只是希望我们能了解一些情况。

New Zealand citizen Carole Barker said her mother Norah Cheetham, 83, who is in England, is in good health but needed to spend her twilight years with her only daughter.

新西兰公民卡罗尔·巴克说，她母亲83岁，住在英国，身体状况良好，但想与她唯一的女儿度过晚年。

"Frustrated doesn't even begin to describe the anguish this embargo is causing to these trapped in the void," she said.

她说：“我们很迷茫，‘焦虑’二字完全不足以形容我们的痛苦。在我们看来，这些不受人关注的老年群体正被政府扫到“地毯”之下，逐日被忽视。这不完全符合我们的期望，因为我们期望建立一个关怀、以家庭为中心的联合政府。”

"It seems to us that this 'shadowy' group of predominately elderly people are being pushed 'under the carpet' and ignored.

"[It] is not exactly what we expected from a caring, 'family-focused' coalition government."

An Immigration New Zealand spokesperson said it was currently processing more than 300 applications for parent category visas lodged before the review was announced.

新西兰移民事务发言人说，目前他们还在处理300多份宣布审查之前提出的家长探亲签证的申请。

"We are not, however, currently selecting new expressions of interest to apply for a parent category visa, and no decision has been made about when selections may restart," the spokesperson said.

发言人说：“我们目前意推行家长类别的签证，也尚未决定何时会出台新的类别供人们选择。”