BBC News, Manchester
A British couple who is confronted with the expulsion of Australia after one of them was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) said that it was not just that the life they built could be removed “at one minute”.
Jessica Mathers was informed that the potential cost of health services for her state treatment meant that her permanent residence request in 2023 alongside her boyfriend Rob O’Leary was rejected.
The 30 -year -old, project manager and DJ of Macclesfield who has lived in Sydney since 2017, said that the couple “had lived in a state of uncertainty” for years when they have been waiting for the result of an appeal against the decision.
The Australian Department of Internal Affairs said that it could not comment on individual cases.
Ms. Mathers and Mr. O’Leary, 31, from East London, met during the country’s hike in 2017 and lived there since.
He launched a business in carpentry and construction trade three years ago, and said that the couple had “benefited from our life here”.
But the diagnosis of MS Mathers of the Remission variant of the SEP in 2020 led to a visa battle with the authorities who could see the pair thrown outside the country.
Symptoms are generally light for this form of MS, according to the NHS, but about half of the cases can become a more progressive form of the disease.
She has received treatment in Australia as part of a reciprocal health agreement with the United Kingdom and said that her condition had been “well managed” so far.
But requests for permanent residence of the couple were rejected in 2023 due to the costs associated with their medical care.
The non-citizens entering Australia must meet certain health requirements, in particular by “unduly increasing costs” for the health service funded by the Medicare country.
The couple appealed to the administrative court after rejection of the visa in 2023 and awaited the last two years for a result.
Mr. O’Leary said they had proposed to pay the medical expenses themselves or to take out private insurance, “but the law is in black and white, and the refusal is based on this, it is really difficult for us”.
They launched an online petition to call the Australian Minister of Internal Affairs to examine their case and examine immigration policies which “unjustly target people with well managed health problems”.
Mr. O’Leary said that the couple “did not ask for special treatment” but a chance to continue “working hard to contribute to this country significantly”.
He said: “We have always paid taxes, we have always worked, Jess made a lot of charity.”
Ms. Mathers said that the couple had been “stuck without knowing what to do” while waiting for the outcome of their call, which had been difficult for her to find something other than temporary work.
She said: “It kept our lives, it’s really overwhelming.
“We know that we could obtain a refusal from the court and receive 28 days to leave the country, at any time.
“We have so many opportunities in Australia, and get away from it would be so sad.”