British couple face deportation from so-called ‘immigration nation’ for absurd reason
A British couple who have lived and worked in Australia for more than a decade are facing deportation after a devastating medical diagnosis.
Jessica Mathers, 30, and Rob O’Leary, 31, met in a Sydney hostel in 2017, and quickly began building a life together.
Jessica is a marketing professional, project manager and DJ, whereas partner Rob created his own business in carpentry and construction.
In 2020, Jessica was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but has been undergoing treatment through a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK and Australia, telling Metro her condition is ‘well managed’.
Despite this, the Australian authorities rejected the couple’s application for permanent residency, citing Jessica’s diagnosis as a reason.
Roughly one-third of Australia’s population is born abroad – and for the past few decades, the land Down Under has been a hotspot for British expats. But not without its drawbacks, Jessica said.
‘They put a dollar value on medical condition and for every visa they have a threshold of how much they’re willing to pay,’ Jessica told Metro.
‘So, when they’re looking at a residency visa, for example, it’s over a 10-year period, and that cost is $57,000. My medical fees ‘exceed’ that’.
The reasoning behind Australia’s rejection of their application can be traced to the ‘outdated’ Migration Act of 1994, which requires applicants to be free from conditions that would place a ‘significant’ cost on the Australian community’s healthcare and community services.
But the UK and Australia have a Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement, which means UK citizens in Australia can access essential and urgent medical care through the Australian medical system. Not all medical costs are covered, as Jessica explained.
Since coming forward with her story, Jessica said she’s had people reach out to her to say they’re concerned about getting their symptoms diagnosed officially Down Under because they fear a similar outcome.
Rob and Jessica applied for their permanent residency together when Rob was invited because of his high skill in the construction industry.
The couple first applied in 2022, but were rejected in September 2023 because of Jessica’s diagnosis. They appealed the decision, paying an additional $5,000, and have been waiting ever since to hear back.
‘It’s got to the point now where it just feels very unreasonable,’ Rob added.
‘To get this point-blank rejection, to be essentially told, “We’re going to ignore everything you’ve done in the past for this country, all the years of hard work, paying taxes, contributing to society, to then just kind of discriminate against Jess at that last hurdle when we should have been able to get our permanent residency is frustrating and disappointing.’
The couple are now in a situation where if one of them is rejected, they both are – meaning they’d have to leave their life behind in Australia and start over.
Rob and Jessica have now started an online petition with over 15,000 signatures to stop their deportation if their appeal isn’t accepted.
Jessica explained: ‘The petition is to raise awareness of how long we’ve been waiting. Anytime we tell someone, even Australians, everyone is shocked.
“You’ve been here ten years and you can’t get a residency?” It just baffles everyone that we speak to.’
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)?
MS is different for everyone and can have an effect on many parts of the body. It’s a neurological condition, that affects the nerves and is caused when the immune system isn’t working properly. The coating around nerve fibres – called myelin – is damaged, and this causes a range of symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Difficulty walking
- Vision problems e.g. blurred vision
- Bladder control problems
- Numbness and tingling in the body
- Muscle stiffness and spasms
- Problems with balance and coordination
- Struggling with thinking, learning and planning
With treatment, it can be managed.
She also cited multiple other petitions citing Australia’s treatment of disabled migrants.
In one case, a couple who migrated to Australia and had a child in Perth were told they could no longer stay – after he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
The Australian Minister for Immigration can intervene in certain cases, Jess tells Metro, so she’s hoping the noise around her situation will spark change.
‘After hearing every person we spoke to about this saying it wasn’t fair, we thought, well, we should fight this.
‘We want to stay here, we’ve got lives here. It’s not as simple as packing up and going,’ Jessica said.
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