Young Sydney siblings fear parents will be deported to Tonga after 25 years in the country Featured
Melenaite, Manu and Daffodil (L-R)
Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs is investigating the case of three young Sydney siblings who fear their parents are about to be deported to Tonga.
Siofilisi and Ilisapesi Misinale arrived in Australia almost 25 years ago and subsequently overstayed their tourist and student visas. Since then, the Immigration Department has refused the couple's requests to obtain permanent visas and the family claims the department has threatened to send them back to Tonga.
The couple have three children who are all Australian citizens, including a 17-year-old daughter who is still in high school. The family have been living in Hillsdale, in Sydney's south, since 1992.
Youngest daughter Melenaite Misinale said her family had tried to convince the Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to intervene in their case but had been unsuccessful, and former Labor ministers had also refused.
She said her father worked six days a week as a storeman and a forklift driver to support his children through school and university. "My siblings and I are going to have to seek other ways to support ourselves if our parents are given the final conclusion that they aren't able to remain in Australia," Ms Misinale said.
"We're a family. We'd like our parents to be with us to keep our family united." Her mother, Ilisapesi, said she and her husband have been told they have exhausted all options to obtain permanent residency in Australia.
"It's very unfair because I have three Australian children here. I just want to see if they have mercy to give me a chance to stay together with my family," she said.
Eldest children advised to support younger sister
The Misinale parents are now on bridging visas, awaiting another meeting with the Immigration Department. A spokesman for Mr Dutton said the family's case was still under review and the department had to consider several factors when deciding whether people could stay in Australia.
Twenty-year-old eldest daughter Daffofil said she and her brother were advised they would have to support their younger sister. "It doesn't look right. Nowadays things are expensive," she said.
Immigration lawyer for the family Christopher Levingston said he was disappointed with the department's dealings with the Misinales. "The attitude of the Immigration Department really has been 'this is your problem, we don't care, go back to Tonga'," Mr Levingston said.
He conceded the Government could not approve every application, but said he thought the Minister would take a closer look at the case.
ABC
7 comments
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Lord hear my prayer listen to my cry for mercy in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief .Do not bring your servant in to judgement for no one living is righteous before
you.(Psalm 143:1&2) -
To the nations n peoples of every language who live in all the earth may you prosper greatly .It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs n wonders that the most high God has performed for me.How great are his signs how mighty his wonders his kingdom is an eternal kingdom his dominion endures from generation to generation(Daniel 4 :1-3)
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Toe sii e tou loea ke taai aki ha toume moe tou vale fuoloa. .vakai pe oku tou ikai tali tou kovi mo ikai kakato pepa poupou..kae vivili pe..hoii pehe pe tamaiki ia mei he mataaukotapukemo
o matengataa!!we all love you cuties
!!ofcos we will always be there for you
in good n bad times !!ofa adu fau!! -
Families are forever !!.Praise be to the Lord God the God of
Israel who alone does marvelous deeds (Psalm 72;18)My flesh & my heart fail but God is the strength of my
heart n my portion forever (Psalm73:26)....we love you cuties with all our hearts!!let him finish off the race !! -
Fakatulou atu pe mo ena afifio !!its worthy dropping down a couple of words here just to make it prominent to all the clans that they re safe & sound at home ..i know words are not
sufficient to encapsulate our sincere
gratitude for all your lending hands so far ..where there's life there's hope ..hence my brothers n sisters i do not consider myself yet to have taken holdof it but one thing i do forgetting what is behind n sstraining toward what is ahead ..i press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13&14) -
Alas my dear sisters & brothers !am so grateful for this opportunity to drop down a couple of words & phrases over here ..i just wanna make it notable to you all that everything is well with the misinales ..kids are safe n sound with mom n dad at home..may the glory n honor be upon him always !well first n foremost we should be grateful for all the infinite n unfathomable blessings that he has bestowed upon us each day ..am sure some of our fans wish to sing in Zion but they re sleeping 4ever so its explicit that he has a perfect plan & a perfect timing for all of us so we must learn to accept his plans with grateful hearts ..i would like to say good bye to you all with one of my favorite quotations taken from the book of Philippians chp4;1- it says "Therefore my brothers & sisters you whom i love & long for my joy n crown ,stand firm in the Lord in this way dear friends ..cheers & peace out to you all!!ofa adu
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Sad news....