Groom buys ticket back to India after Immigration officials turned up on his wedding day

A groom who was told to leave New Zealand on his wedding day has bought a ticket back to India.

Two Immigration NZ officials went to the Christchurch home which Sukhwinder Singh, 23, has shared since January last year with Carolyn Macey, 30, on the day the couple were due to marry on Tuesday.

Singh said the officials wanted to hold him in custody as an overstayer until he left the country, but agreed to give him until 3pm today to buy a ticket to his home country, India.

He has borrowed the money from friends and bought a ticket today to fly home on September 15.

"We are not financially stable so we are asking for help from friends," he said.

"When Carolyn was working it was all going into lawyers' fees.

"We are trying to sell the car so we have something. We are just trying to figure out what we are going to do."

Singh came to New Zealand on a student visa to study business in January 2014 and said he and Macey began a relationship on New Year's Day 2015.

He worked as a maintenance engineer at McDonald's, but gave up the job in May when his visa expired. Since then he has been at home looking after Macey's son Donovan, aged 6, while applying for a partner visa to stay.

Macey kept working but has not been to work since Monday.

"She has been stressed out," Singh said.

"It's like we are really confused by it. We heard from a lot of people today, and we are just getting negative feedback on what you can see on social media. The comments made us more upset."

He said he had bought the ticket home himself so that he would not be formally deported, potentially allowing him to apply again from India for a partnership visa.

Alternatively, Macey and her son might be able to join him in India.

"We are going to see how much we can afford, and then we will make a plan," Singh said. "We don't want to be apart."