When Jay-Jay Feeney and her boyfriend Minou meet Woman’s Day for lunch, the lovebirds look as sunny as the weather, wearing matching ear-to-ear grins.
“We’ve got some news!” teases the radio legend, 51, before revealing that after months of anxious waiting, her Algerian-born partner has been granted a visa that will let him stay in Aotearoa for another 12 months.
“He’s allowed to get a job, so he can pay his way, pay the bills and save up to go back home to visit. He can leave New Zealand and come back in!”
“I’m so happy,” smiles Minou, 33, who’s proudly wearing an All Blacks jersey.
“I’m really happy. I love the culture here, the beautiful nature and the people, who are so kind.”
But he can’t keep his eyes off Jay-Jay and it’s clear she’s the main attraction. This marks a milestone in the couple’s unconventional love story, which began when he slid into her Facebook DMs back in 2018. After meeting up for several romantic overseas holidays and a temporary split prompted by COVID border closures, Minou arrived in Auckland in June for a three-month stay – their longest stretch of time together – to see if he and Jay-Jay could make their relationship work in the real world.
A life-changing visa battle
In that time, their bond only deepened, so they applied for Minou to be granted a partnership visa, which saw his stay extended until a “terrifying” interview with Immigration New Zealand in early November that would ultimately decide the fate of their relationship. The meeting happened in the offices of leading immigration lawyer Richard McLeod, who famously helped Algerian political prisoner Ahmed Zaoui secure citizenship in 2014.
“We figured if he could do that, maybe he can help us,” explains Jay-Jay.
The pair was separated and asked all about their relationship, with officials making sure their answers aligned to prove their bond was real.
An emotional, invasive experience
Jay-Jay admits, “I was so nervous about being analysed and judged. It’s so invasive telling a stranger all these things we don’t even tell our friends, but the woman was very sympathetic. “When she asked what would happen if he didn’t get the visa, I just cried because Minou would have to go home straightaway. What would that mean for our relationship?”
Minou got the same question. He replied, “It’s going to be a disaster. I’ll be heartbroken. When it’s the person you love the most, you want to touch them and kiss them all the time.”
There was a lighter moment in Minou’s interview, where he was asked what he and Jay-Jay do in their spare time.
He recalls, “I explained that we watched The Chase and my favourite show, Border Patrol, which made the interviewer and the lawyer laugh.”
The life-changing email
A couple of days later, Minou got an email from Richard to say his visa had been granted. He tells, “I was so excited and I called Jay-Jay directly at work.”
Jay-Jay, who manages podcast studio PodLab, continues, “I was in a very important meeting with a client and my phone was in another room, but I could hear it ringing nonstop and my colleague brought it in, saying, ‘It’s Minou. He says it’s urgent.’ I thought it was an emergency, like he’d fallen off an e-scooter, but then he told me the news and I screamed. I had to apologise to the client!”
A new year together
Asked what the next 52 weeks hold for them, Jay-Jay confesses, “Because we only just found out about the visa, we haven’t been able to make any plans, but I guess someone needs to find a job now!”
Minou hopes to become an Air New Zealand flight attendant.
He says, “I don’t know how that works, but I’ll find out and focus on it. I’ll do my best to achieve my dream.”
As for wedding plans? Jay-Jay notes that she still hasn’t divorced her ex-husband, her former radio co-host Dominic Harvey, while Minou adds that the topic also came up in his Immigration interview.
Faith, culture & future challenges
He shares, “They asked, ‘What do you think about Jay-Jay not being Muslim? Is that going to affect your future?’ I said that she’s not Muslim, but she respects Islam and she knows everything related to it, like praying and fasting. “I have many friends who are marrying women who are not Muslim, but because Jay-Jay isn’t Jewish or Christian, I can’t marry her without her converting to Islam. But if Allah wants to guide her to Islam, she will be a Muslim. Who knows?”
Jay-Jay asks, “But what if I don’t become a Muslim?”
“It’s hard,” replies Minou.
“But I will pray to Allah to guide you, so we can get married.”
Twelve months to figure it all out
It’s clear they still have a lot to talk about, but they’ve got another 12 months to work things out and our lunch break is almost over.
As our chat comes to a close, the pair share a kiss and burst into big grins.
“He gets to stay!” exclaims Jay-Jay. “It’s outrageous.”
