4/10/2024 New Zealand (International Christian Concern) – A Chinese man who claimed he converted to Christianity in 2016 and was part of an underground church in China has had his refugee status revoked by the New Zealand government.

The man claimed he would face severe persecution because of his conversion to Christianity if he returned to China. However, he made six trips back to China after he was granted asylum in New Zealand. His repeated trips indicated to the New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal that his claims of persecution were false.

The tribunal also documented that the man had been convicted of serious assault in 2019 and had assisted people with fraudulent refugee status claims in 2019 and 2020. All of this happened after New Zealand granted him asylum.

In its decision, the tribunal stated that “this man falsely represented that he was a genuine Christian convert who had been detained and warned in the circumstances that he had claimed.” This case comes at a time when New Zealand officials are allowing fewer Christian refugees into the country than Muslim refugees. It risks putting the stories of genuine persecuted Christians in a bad light. 

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