This is the kind of good news, which makes paying attention to politics feel a whole lot less depressing.
After a six-month-long battle, Enamul Kabir and his family have been granted permanent residency in Australia.
Mamamia have covered the plight of this particular family before and there’s a good reason. The family’s original application for a Skilled Residence Visa was rejected because their eight-year-old son – Srijon Kabir – has mild autism.
You didn’t read that wrong.
Because of a bizarre migration law still on the books, when Srijon was diagnosed with mild autism, the government found that his family – including mum Siuly (a Biomedical Engineering researcher) and his dad Enamul (a statistician at the University of Queensland) – were to be deported back to Bangladesh.
The family lodged an appeal with Immigration Minister Scott Morrison last November and a Change.org petition was started by one of Enamul’s UQ colleagues, Chris McDonald.
Chris wrote on Facebook:
I was astounded when I saw the email from Enamul. I couldn’t believe that this was still happening in our country. My friend and former colleague’s family is about to be deported from Australia — the reason: his son has mild autism.
Enamul and Siuly Kabir are caring parents, taxpayers, both have PhDs – one an academic at the University of Queensland, the other a researcher in Biomedical Engineering. But because of archaic migration laws still on the books — when their son was diagnosed with a mild form of autism — the government rejected their application for permanent residency.
The ‘net benefit’ approach as recommended by the Joint Standing Committee Inquiry into the Migration Treatment of Disability (“Enabling Australia” published in June, 2010) appears to have been completely ignored.
Srijon also shared a plea with the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison on Facebook.
Srijon wrote, “Please Mr Morrison, don’t deport my mum and dad from Australia because I have autism. I love Australia it’s our home and my parents love working here. My school really good too. Your’s sincerely Srijon.”
Top Comments
I can feel the pain the family went through but happy that it ended well. I have a similar story as my visa application was recently rejected citing health condition of my daughter. Less hopeful because, being an offshore applicant I did not get the review rights. My pain is different in way because immigration portal did not provide heal criteria detail which I learned through research after refusal. Could have saved ten thousand dollars and waste of several months of intense documentation. Also because my daughter's condition is improving but declared permanent by the medical officer. Ordeal has been documented in a petition. Please support by signing and sharing:
https://www.change.org/p/mi...
Great news and also great to see that it is effective to speak out against injustice :)