Barrett, who featured in every Rugby Championship match, starting four of six games, has his first baby due in November and wants to be present for the birth.
Tuipulotu is set to take up a one season sabbatical with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz in 2022 but needs to link with the team at the end of this year, and he has a young daughter to consider.
Both players have secured MIQ spots at a time when other New Zealand athletes such as triathlete Hayden Wilde and doubles tennis specialist Michael Venus, both of whom claimed bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics, have vented their frustrations at being unable to return home.
Other athletes affected by MIQ access include Paige Hareb, who pulled out of the World Surf League challenger series last month because she could not secure a spot.
Several members of Auckland's City Kickboxing gym, including UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker, have signalled their desire to move to America for the good of their careers, due to lockdowns and the MIQ situation in New Zealand.
Thousands of New Zealanders abroad have also missed out on attempts to secure MIQ spots in the highly-criticised lottery booking system.
With Barrett and Tuipulotu returning home, All Blacks coach Ian Foster made the surprise call to include Lord, the 2.02m, 106 kg lock who has played five Super Rugby games for the Chiefs, ahead of Crusaders contender Quinten Strange and Highlanders second-rower Pari Pari Parkinson.
All Blacks centurion Sam Whitelock, injured captain Sam Cane, hooker Dane Coles and loose forward Shannon Frizell will also join the team in Washington DC, where they begin their five-match northern tour.
Last month Frizell had criminal charges, which included two charges of male assaults female and another of common assault at a nightclub incident in May, against him dismissed after he completed diversion. He was denied a visa to enter Australia while the case was before the courts.
Frizell attacked a man, and slapped and punched a woman during the late-night incident on May 9, then followed it up with an abusive social-media message to a friend of one of the victims.
“F*** you b**** tell your friend to hide I’m gonna f*** everyone’s up f*** with the wrong guy,” (sic) it read.
Frizell’s case was called before the Dunedin District Court on September 14 though his attendance was excused.
Prosecutor Sergeant Chris George confirmed the Highlanders star had completed the terms of his diversion and the two charges of assaulting a woman and one of common assault were formally dismissed by Judge Peter Rollo.
Because there was no formal guilty plea entered, there was never a summary of facts outlining the details of the violence tendered to the court.
After Frizell’s first court hearing in July, he apologised outside court and said he would “now try to do everything I can to restore people’s faith in me”.
“I already have put a plan in place with counsellors to help me address areas I want to work on.”
The words were scant consolation to the mother of his female victim.
She told the Otago Daily Times Frizell had “walked away with nothing more than a slap on the hand”.
“[My daughter] has been disregarded and his full actions have been dismissed,” she said.
“The man put fear into my girl and that’s been the worse thing to see.”
The full All Blacks squad has 65 MIQ spots for their return home after the final match of the year against France in Paris on November 20.
Foster said: "From a physical point of view, we have come through the Rugby Championship really well. Therefore, we've decided to add fewer players than first anticipated for the next part of our 12-week tour. Also having the Bunnings NPC continue into November means we are also able to bring over potential replacements, if required."
