A Scottish family that has been living and working in Australia for the past ten years is about to be kicked out of the country tonight, following a battle with the Australian immigration department that lasted for the past decade.
Mark Green was employed by a solar company in South Australia in the year 2012 to address a scarcity of skilled solar installation electricians in the local labour force.
After Green made the decision to take advantage of the chance, his wife Kelly and daughter Rebecca, along with the rest of his family, were excited about it.
The family had been offered a permanent residence by their employers.
As a result of the failure of several of Green’s employers, he was forced to give up his permanent status and is still operating under a bridging visa, which has created difficulties for Green’s family.
The family’s request for a visa to remain in the country has been turned down by the Department of Immigration, and as a result, they will be sent back to Scotland at 10 o’clock tonight.
In a conversation with Ben Fordham on 2GB, Frank Pangallo, a member of parliament for the state of South Australia, encouraged the federal government to reconsider their stance in order to retain the family in Australia.
He stated that “we are calling on minister Andrew Giles to intervene and allow them to apply to stay in Australia while they are in Australia instead of the expense of going to Scotland,” and that “we are calling on minister Andrew Giles to allow them to apply to stay in Australia while they are in Australia.”
“The Green family has been living in this country for the past ten years and has shelled out a total of two hundred thousand dollars in an effort to satisfy the prerequisites for obtaining visas.
“They have not been a drain on taxpayers in any way, as evidenced by the fact that they have paid for their child’s medical and educational expenditures out of their own personal funds.
They are well liked and appreciated by the community. They make a positive contribution.
Following a protracted legal battle to remain in the nation, the Department of Immigration finally issued permanent visas to the Biloela family only last week. In response, Fordham criticised the Department of Immigration for failing to grant a visa to the Green family.