A GOSNELLS grandmother facing deportation to England says she deserves to stay in Australia.
Fran Davies moved to Australia in 2009 following her husband’s passing to be closer to her family and applied for residency in 2016, which was rejected.
She recently received word her appeal had been rejected on health grounds and she had until June 28 to depart the country, but said she had no loved ones left in England.
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READ NOW“I’ve got nobody left in England, nobody at all. I don’t know where they’d put me,” she said.
The 77-year-old suffers from cold agglutinin disease, which causes her body to destroy red blood cells if she gets too cold, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Her daughter Karen Brabham said the application was refused because her mother received injections to fight the two life-threatening diseases.
“The immigration rules state anybody being assessed on health grounds over the age of 75, any medical expenses they have, have to be less than $40,000,” she said.
“Mum’s costs were just under $39,000, but the medical officer of the Commonwealth stated she needs to be assessed over a lifetime span, which is eight years and blows the costs over the cap.
“Two different specialists have discovered when one’s bad, the other one is bad. They’re both auto-immune diseases and the injections control both.”
Ms Davies said she wanted to make it clear she lived an independent life.
“The only thing which has bought this to a head is the injection I get, the other medication I get is paid for by me and the pension I worked for in England,” she said.
“I don’t want anyone to think they’re funding my cost of living, it’s very hurtful.”
Her daughter echoed her sentiments and said her mother paid for the majority of treatment herself.
“Mum doesn’t sponge off Centrelink, she’s self-sufficient with everything, even with the cost of all the other medication and that one injection which costs $1000 a month,” she said.
“She pays $40 per month over the counter for the injections and the government subsidises the rest.”
In a desperate bid to allow her to stay in the country, Ms Davies’ family have made a ministerial intervention application to the Department of Home Affairs.
Her family expects Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton to review her ministerial intervention application over the next few weeks, but admitted they were getting more stressed the longer the case dragged out.
Ms Davies could receive an extension to her bridging visa if Mr Dutton has not reviewed her application before the June 28 deadline.
Her family have set up a change.org petition, which you can sign at https://www.change.org/p/department-of-immigration-and-border-protection-fightforfran.
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