By Shelby Brooks
A South African family which has spent two years trying to immigrate to Australia remains in limbo, unsure if their visas will be granted in time to spend Christmas with relatives in Narre Warren South.
Claire and Eric Gillan began their journey to get to Australia in February 2020, submitting an expression of interest to South Australia to immigrate with their young daughter Marilyn.
They received their invitation to move at the end of June 2020 and paid for their visas in July of that year.
But they’re still waiting.
“As every day goes by, I lose a bit of hope and you get to a point where you wonder if you have made a big mistake,” Claire said.
Claire and Eric were accepted under the 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa, which according to the Department of Home Affairs takes 16 months to process 90 per cent of applications.
“Yet here we are, nearly 18 months later, no news and no mention of when visas will be issued,” Claire said.
On 22 November 2021, the government announced 200,000 eligible visa holders would be allowed to enter Australia from 1 December, after almost two years of being locked out of the country.
Eligible people included fully vaccinated skilled migrants, international students, humanitarian, temporary, working holiday maker and provision family visa holidays.
But the Omicron variant of Covid-19 saw Australia’s borders snapped shut again before they even opened for people from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique, with new border restrictions introduced from 28 November to 15 December.
“We really had a glimmer of hope when it was said borders were going to be opening to students and skilled migrants on 1 Dec 2021, we just hoped that meant that there was a chance visas would start being granted,” Claire said.
“Now the two week pause? By 15 December, what chance do I have of my visa being granted before Christmas?”
The Gillans hoped they would be able to fly to Melbourne to celebrate Christmas with Claire’s cousins, the MacCauig family of Narre Warren South, before heading onto South Australia to settle.
Claire’s cousin Samantha MacCuaig said she was heartbroken for them.
“My poor cousin has had her hopes dashed time after time,” she said.
“When she called me a month ago with the good news that they’ll be here for Christmas, we were all jumping for joy but, not a day later, heard the devastating news that flights leaving South Africa have been suspended once again.
“I have tried to keep her spirits up, however, I’m not sure what to say with all this uncertainty around Covid.
“I do know that time is ticking and they are financially exhausting their savings. As a South African I am so aware of their desperation to get to Australia and make a new life for themselves. I really don’t know how to help them.”
Claire decided to move to Australia to start a better life for her family.
“South Africa is a wonderful place, but as the poverty and unemployment grows, is becomes more and more expensive to live day to day,“ she said.
“You work long days and long hours and yet it’s hard to make a living as a middle class person. There is no work life balance at all.
“That is my main reason for wanting to move to Australia- work life balance. And of course the outdoor lifestyle!”
Claire and Eric sold everything they owned when their invitation to South Australia arrived in July last year.
They are currently staying in a friend’s furnished apartment, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“We have sold everything, cashed in all our investments to go through with this and it feels like we just threw our money away,” Claire said.
“We are so blessed to have this place to live in, I’m so grateful, it gives a bit of stability in this time of not knowing. But nothing here is mine, not a spoon, not a plate, even the pillows we sleep on. It works on a person.”
Claire and her family are trying to stay positive, though it’s taking a toll on their mental health.
“My daughter and I cry quite often together because even at eight years old, she too is feeling like our dream is over before it even began,” Claire said.
“All this time we try and keep the dream alive but the more we remind ourselves of that dream, the more hopeless I feel. Hanging in limbo is the worst of all of this.“
