‘Mistake’: Email that left a woman scared for her life
A single email from the immigration department threw a woman’s life into chaos.
Lifestyle
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Immigration officials endangered a woman’s life by effectively notifying her abusive and controlling husband that she was preparing to leave him.
The Australian woman only wanted to know the process of revoking her sponsorship of the North American citizen’s visa, so she could hatch a plan to escape his violence, and then shockingly – against protocol – authorities sent him a letter revealing her intentions.
When the dangerous breach of procedure was realised, authorities attempted a haphazard backflip, before hastily granting him permanent residency, ignoring crucial checks in the process, it appears.
Serious questions surround the granting of an immigration “golden ticket” – a quick pathway to full Australian citizenship – in the face of unaddressed concerns about his character and extensive evidence about his prior and ongoing abuse of his terrified ex-wife.
News.com.au can reveal the shocking chain of apparent failures endured by the woman, who can’t be identified for legal reasons but has been given the pseudonym Natalie for this story.
A trove of documents obtained by news.com.au raises serious concerns about the checks and balances in place to protect Australians from the importation of domestic and family violence offenders.
And the deafening silence from some of the country’s most powerful government departments, as well as the minister responsible, has been described by advocates as “ongoing negligence”.
Shocking failures exposed
Natalie sponsored her then-partner’s spousal visa application in February 2020.
As instances of domestic violence, financial abuse and coercive control became more frequent and life-threatening, she sought advice from a crisis service.
She was encouraged by a support worker to devise a safety plan – a blueprint for how she could flee the man she feared, but to whom she was tied by business arrangements and a mortgage.
On April 26, 2023, unable to find any useful information on the Immigration Department’s website, she sent a brief email seeking informal advice.
It read: “I need to know this information for safety before a withdrawal letter is sent though.”
The next day, an Immigration official replied and assured Natalie that her abusive spouse wouldn’t be told until after she completed the proper paperwork.
Importantly, Natalie did not include any identifying details about her partner, such as his Immigration case file number, date or birth, or even his name.
Despite that, almost immediately and without her knowledge or consent, her abuser was formally notified that Natalie had withdrawn her sponsorship, citing the end of the relationship.
In an instant, she was placed in a gravely dangerous position.
“It was a nightmare and I was terrified,” she said. “I was living with a monster, trying to make a plan to escape him, and they basically told him. They put me in a very dangerous situation.”
Natalie wasn’t adequately prepared to flee and was desperately trying to keep the peace at home, for her own safety, but Immigration authorities lobbed a bomb in the middle of her precarious situation.
The shocking breach was quickly realised and the Department of Immigration reversed its decision.
Bizarrely, two days later, the man was granted permanent residency.
A senior official conceded in an email to Natalie that an error had occurred and apologised for the “misunderstanding”.
Internal emails among officials have also been obtained by news.com.au and show a feverish back-and-forth about the handling of the matter.
Serious concerns ignored
In September 2023, Natalie finally hatched her escape and made the first of countless reports to Immigration, Home Affairs and Border Force about her estranged husband.
These included meticulously detailed timelines of the abuse she was subjected to.
Images, videos, voice notes and screenshots supporting her allegations of stalking, harassment and threats were also provided.
In one ominous text, he speaks of being the last thing she will see before she “goes”, while on another occasion, he eerily sent a video of himself firing a shotgun.
Natalie has received a barrage of messages from the man over the past year, including a staggering 600 messages in one single month alone.
Photos of the man driving past her home, a written admission that he was watching her from a park across the street, threats that he would destroy her life and burn down her home, and details of a call in which he mentioned watching her sleep, were also documented and provided to Immigration and Border Force.
The man’s immigration status remains unchanged, despite lingering questions about his ability to satisfy the character and criminality requirements of his visa.
“They didn’t conduct a new criminal history check when they gave him permanent residency,” Natalie said. “I believe the last one was done in 2020. They haven’t examined his character. It’s ridiculous.”
Evidence of clear breaches of an intervention order, obtained by police on Natalie’s behalf, prohibiting the man from contacting and harassing her, were also provided but ignored.
Natalie said she and her domestic violence case workers have also been ignored by federal agencies and stonewalled by the government, including ministers she has contacted but been fobbed off by.
The impact of the continuing abuse has been severe, Natalie said.
“I’ve lost my business. I have to sell my home. I have to leave Melbourne. I most likely have to leave my family, my community, for someone who’s been in the country for four years, because no one will intervene.
“The most I’ve had from them is a letter saying they’ve used my case to make policy changes so that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. That’s fine, but what about me?”
News.com.au put a long list of questions to Immigration and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and also provided extensive background and materials relating to the man.
Despite repeated contact, his office did not respond.
Natalie had a clear message for Mr Burke and the Federal Government: “No one’s going to want to admit that they’ve allowed someone dangerous to remain the country with this shocking history. They’ve made a mistake, but in ignoring it, they’re putting my life at risk.”
Australian Border Force did not respond to a request for comment.
The man will be eligible for citizenship next year.
Domestic and family violence consultant Kellene Elder from SaferSteps, who has been working with Natalie, slammed the government’s handling of the case.
“We call for a thorough review of the visa approval process, improved co-ordination among agencies, and stricter enforcement of protective mechanisms,” Ms Elder said.
“The current situation endangers the victim and undermines public trust in the systems meant to protect the vulnerable.”
Police handling criticised
Natalie is also frustrated at the actions of Victoria Police, who have taken out two family violence intervention orders (FVIO) on her behalf but not pursued the man for clear breaches of conditions.
On one occasion, when reporting a breach, she was told that prosecuting breaches was a costly exercise and doing so in that instances wasn’t worth the hassle.
The latest protection order was bungled, with a series of internal errors seeing its delivery to the man delayed by almost 30 days.
Natalie has been deemed a level-three “high risk” victim requiring immediate protection.
She and her case worker have provided detailed timelines and extensive supporting evidence showing the man’s continuing abuse, including CCTV footage, photographs, voice notes, call logs and damning text messages.
He has not been charged by police.
Victoria Police was approached for comment about its handling of the case, and news.com.au posed several specific questions, which were largely unaddressed.
“Victoria Police takes all reports of family violence, including stalking, threatening behaviour, and breaches of family violence intervention orders extremely seriously,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“These crimes are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Police investigate all contraventions of family violence intervention orders and pursue criminal charges whenever perpetrators breach those orders.
“We know that many breaches are committed using technology, with offenders using text messages or social media, to target victims. Misuse of technology by perpetrators means they can breach orders without having to leave their house.
“Police aim to serve family violence intervention orders on perpetrators as soon as possible, which is usually within 14 days of the application being made. On occasion it can take longer for police to serve family violence intervention orders on a perpetrator, for example, if they are avoiding service or trying not to be found by police.
“Police are working tirelessly across the state to enforce orders and make sure perpetrators are accountable for their behaviour.”
News.com.au put a series of questions to Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan about the police handling of Natalie’s case.
“Addressing family violence isn’t just about improving the justice system – it’s about a long term cultural shift in how we treat the issue,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.
“No one who is brave enough to speak up about their situation should walk away feeling like they were not taken seriously.
“We are continuing to work on how we can better protect victims of family violence and stalking – because we know that stalking can cause lasting harm to survivors’ mental and physical health and can escalate to more serious offending.
“Our recently announced women’s safety package includes planned changes to the service of FVIOs, so that we can put a stop to perpetrators who deliberately avoid being served and enable protection to start sooner.
“We’ve also announced changes to the stalking offence to make it easier to apply for Personal Safety Intervention Orders – helping more victims of stalking get the protection they need, with legislative changes to be introduced into parliament next year.”
Natalie lives in fear for her life and feels let down at all levels by the system designed to protect her.
Originally published as ‘Mistake’: Email that left a woman scared for her life
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