'Obese' migrant told to lose weight before making move

With years of experience as a submarine cable specialist behind him, Richie Trezise was looking forward to emigrating from Britain and using his skills to help New Zealand beat its brain drain. He had been headhunted by one of the country's biggest companies and was all set to begin a new life with his wife, Rowan.

There was a slight hitch, however. After Mr Trezise went to his GP for a medical, immigration officials told him he did not meet New Zealand's health requirements because he was too fat. The 35-year-old Welshman failed its body mass index (BMI) test, which measures the proportion of body fat to a person's height and weight. Mr Trezise's BMI was 42, classifying him as morbidly obese under immigration guidelines.

He was told he would have to slim before he was allowed in on an employer-backed skilled migrant visa.

"My doctor laughed at me. He said he'd never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life. He said not every overweight person is unhealthy or unfit," said Mr Trezise, who plays rugby and used to be in the Army.

Rather than give up, he went on a crash diet, losing a substantial amount of weight and shedding 5cm from his waistline. He went back, passed the test and flew out in September to start a new job working to upgrade a submarine cable for Telecom New Zealand.

Mark Watts, a spokesman for the company, said it was sympathetic to Mr Trezise's situation but declined to criticise the immigration rules, saying that the strict visa scheme "enables us to get skilled workers from around the world".

The New Zealand immigration service said it had no idea how many people were denied entry because of their weight. The BMI test is not mentioned on its website, however, and the health requirements for prospective residents stipulate only that they should not require dialysis or have tuberculosis, haemophilia or a disability requiring full-time care.

Robyn Toomath, an endocrinologist, of the New Zealand campaign group Fight the Obesity Epidemic, said the country could not afford to admit migrants who would be a drain on health services. "You can see the logic in assessing if there is a significant health cost associated with this individual, and that would be a reason for them not coming," she said.

Mr Trezise's wife, who is also classified as overweight, is still at home trying to shed pounds so that she meets the BMI requirements and can join her husband in New Zealand.

Mr Trezise has promised her that if she is unable to lose enough weight and pass the immigration test by Christmas, he will return to Britain for good. But he pointed out that has private health care and his employer has a gym membership scheme. "The idea was that we were going to change our lifestyle totally and get outdoors and on mountain bikes and all sorts," he said.