'Overjoyed': Irish family's months-long immigration battle ends with good news
The Irish parents of a little boy who faced deportation because their son was considered a burden on Australia’s health system have been granted permanent residency.
Christine and Anthony Hyde – who have lived in Seymour, more than 100km north of Melbourne, for a decade – had their application to stay in the country rejected due to their three-year-old, Darragh, having cystic fibrosis.
But after a mass amount of community support and pressure, the family have had their deportation notice overturned.
“We are delighted to share that we were granted residency yesterday,” Mrs Hyde shared to Facebook on Saturday.
“We are completely overjoyed, excited and ready to live our lives! It’s been nearly four years since we lodged our original application.
“We can not believe it, we are so grateful. Looking forward to the next chapter in our lives.”
The family had initially been given until June 18 to leave Australia due to Darragh’s condition and the cost of his Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidised, life-saving medication.
But they were permitted to stay while a review on their case took place – establishing a petition in the mean time and sharing their predicament publicly.
In a last-ditch effort, the family appealed to Immigration Minister David Coleman, the only person in a position to grant them permanent residency.
On Friday, they received the news they had so desperately hoping for, as going back to Ireland could mean a wait of up to 12 months for Darragh’s medication.
Mrs Hyde expressed her gratitude to the community for its outpouring of support.
“Thank you to everyone who has been behind us these past few months, it has been challenging,” she said in her Facebook post.
Speaking with Yahoo News Australia, Mrs Hyde said the family was ecstatic and relieved after receiving the news.
“We are extremely happy. A weight has been lifted,” she said.
More than 120,000 had signed the online petition to have the family’s deportation overturned.
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