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Adelaide family given last-minute visa extension to stay in Australia, but their future is still in limbo

An Adelaide-based family who is pleading with the federal government to allow them to stay in Australia says the country’s visa laws need to change to give more people to “fair go”.

Mark and Kelly Green moved to Australia from Scotland a decade ago when their daughter Rebecca was nine.

Mr Green and his family are like thousands of bridging visa holders who have become accustomed to living in limbo, and have found it difficult to secure their future in Australia.

Mr Green, a qualified electrician who has been working on solar projects in Australia, has not yet met the criteria for permanent residence because he has been unable to stay with the same employer for the required amount of time.

The family sold all their belongings and had been booked to board a flight back to Scotland late on Wednesday night, but were granted a last-minute extension after Premier Peter Malinauskas called federal Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

“We were just so stressed out, we didn’t know what was happening and we thought it was the end yesterday, then to have that news at the very end brought to us, it was fantastic,” Mr Green said.

“We can’t thank these people enough, you know, just for that chance to stay a little bit longer and hopefully forever, because this is our home.”

the green family
The Green family says Australia has been their home for 10 years.(Change.org)

Mr Green, who stood holding his wife and daughter while speaking to the media, became emotional when he described how much he loved Australia and wanted to stay.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to fight, fight for what’s right,” he said.

“I’ve got these two people here, they mean the world to me and that’s worth fighting for.”

Mr Green said he hoped the immigration minister would make the “right decision”.

“All we can do is plead with him and say please look at our case and look at it with all your heart, we’ve done nothing wrong,” Mr Green said.

‘So much to offer’ Australia

Mr Green said he had now found a supportive employer who was willing to sponsor him for the full amount of time required to meet the permanent residency requirements and he just needed permission from the federal government to stay.

“We’re still not out of the water yet, all the support we can still get would be fantastic,” Mr Green said.

He said he wanted the system to change to make it easier for others like him and his family.

“There’s been people waiting out there for years to try and get into this country, and no wonder why this country is fantastic, it’s brilliant,” he said.

“There’s so much to offer here and people have got so much to offer this country as well and that’s what they’ve got to take into consideration, the rules have got to be changed a little bit to be brought up to the times. It’s not fair that people are stuck in these situations.”

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