Aurelie and Justin met by chance; their story reads like a film. During summer 2013, Justin was rushed to an emergency room in Geneva with acute appendicitis. Aurelie, a nurse at the hospital, tended to him for a few minutes before a colleague took over. She soon forgot about the encounter. Justin did not; he fancied Aurelie immediately. Several weeks later, ![]()
and, tucked inside, she discovered Justin's business card. Encouraged by a friend, she looked him up on Facebook and, although Aurelie didn't quite recognise his face, she sent Justin a message saying ‘thank you’. “It shows what a big impact I had on her,” jokes Justin. The pair met for lunch, and things went from there; they fell in love and got married in April 2015, a little less than two years after their first date.
Justin applied to a PhD programme at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was accepted. “But, moving to New Zealand together, we realised how hard it is to navigate the visas and administration that comes with that,” Aurelie continues. “Depending on someone else for the future is difficult. I found it very personal. We had to provide such a big amount of proof: private pictures, wedding pictures, all of our WhatsApp conversations”. Eventually, they received permission to live in New Zealand. After a year spent preparing, in February 2019, the couple uprooted their life to move to New Zealand, Justin on a Fee Paying Student/Work Visa and Aurelie on a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa.
“Everything we want to do is a fight, so we are used to fighting. But, this fight is huge. It is the biggest one yet,” says Aurelie, reflecting on their separation during Covid-19. Despite not being recognised as a family by immigration, their relationship is something they have refused to give up. And, although it was painful and unsettling having no clarity about why immigration repeatedly rejected their expressions of interest, they remained strong.
Aurelie received a 'thank you' card
Justin applied to a PhD programme at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was accepted. “But, moving to New Zealand together, we realised how hard it is to navigate the visas and administration that comes with that,” Aurelie continues. “Depending on someone else for the future is difficult. I found it very personal. We had to provide such a big amount of proof: private pictures, wedding pictures, all of our WhatsApp conversations”. Eventually, they received permission to live in New Zealand. After a year spent preparing, in February 2019, the couple uprooted their life to move to New Zealand, Justin on a Fee Paying Student/Work Visa and Aurelie on a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa.
“Everything we want to do is a fight, so we are used to fighting. But, this fight is huge. It is the biggest one yet,” says Aurelie, reflecting on their separation during Covid-19. Despite not being recognised as a family by immigration, their relationship is something they have refused to give up. And, although it was painful and unsettling having no clarity about why immigration repeatedly rejected their expressions of interest, they remained strong.
Aurelie and Justin met by chance; their story reads like a film. During summer 2013, Justin was rushed to an emergency room in Geneva with acute appendicitis. Aurelie, a nurse at the hospital, tended to him for a few minutes before a colleague took over. She soon forgot about the encounter. Justin did not; he fancied Aurelie immediately. Several weeks later, ![]()
and, tucked inside, she discovered Justin's business card. Encouraged by a friend, she looked him up on Facebook and, although Aurelie didn't quite recognise his face, she sent Justin a message saying ‘thank you’. “It shows what a big impact I had on her,” jokes Justin. The pair met for lunch, and things went from there; they fell in love and got married in April 2015, a little less than two years after their first date.
Justin applied to a PhD programme at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was accepted. “But, moving to New Zealand together, we realised how hard it is to navigate the visas and administration that comes with that,” Aurelie continues. “Depending on someone else for the future is difficult. I found it very personal. We had to provide such a big amount of proof: private pictures, wedding pictures, all of our WhatsApp conversations”. Eventually, they received permission to live in New Zealand. After a year spent preparing, in February 2019, the couple uprooted their life to move to New Zealand, Justin on a Fee Paying Student/Work Visa and Aurelie on a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa.
“Everything we want to do is a fight, so we are used to fighting. But, this fight is huge. It is the biggest one yet,” says Aurelie, reflecting on their separation during Covid-19. Despite not being recognised as a family by immigration, their relationship is something they have refused to give up. And, although it was painful and unsettling having no clarity about why immigration repeatedly rejected their expressions of interest, they remained strong.
Aurelie received a 'thank you' card
Justin applied to a PhD programme at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was accepted. “But, moving to New Zealand together, we realised how hard it is to navigate the visas and administration that comes with that,” Aurelie continues. “Depending on someone else for the future is difficult. I found it very personal. We had to provide such a big amount of proof: private pictures, wedding pictures, all of our WhatsApp conversations”. Eventually, they received permission to live in New Zealand. After a year spent preparing, in February 2019, the couple uprooted their life to move to New Zealand, Justin on a Fee Paying Student/Work Visa and Aurelie on a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa.
“Everything we want to do is a fight, so we are used to fighting. But, this fight is huge. It is the biggest one yet,” says Aurelie, reflecting on their separation during Covid-19. Despite not being recognised as a family by immigration, their relationship is something they have refused to give up. And, although it was painful and unsettling having no clarity about why immigration repeatedly rejected their expressions of interest, they remained strong.
