Luisa Gomez Lopez’s $7346 visa fight to finish her studies in Darwin

An international student based in Darwin has been forced to find thousands of dollars so she can appeal her visa rejection.

Luisa Gomez Lopez is raising money to appeal her visa decision in Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A Colombian student has a week to raise a small fortune so she can continue studying in the Territory, after she was told her application did not look “legitimate”.

Luisa Gomez Lopez said she had completed the first six months of her Diploma of Community Services via Sydney City College when she received the devastating news.

Ms Gomez Lopez said she was told the profile she put forward in her application did not look like that of a “legitimate student”.

She says she has previously studied in France, the US, and Argentina.

Luisa Gomez Lopez is raising money to appeal her visa decision in Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Coming from a background of community service projects in Colombia, Ms Gomez Lopez said she was drawn to the Australian coursework because of the breadth of knowledge it provided in niche areas of public service.

“On the other hand, in my country, Colombia, we have the same education, however the methodology to implement it in society is missing,” she said.

She hoped to use the course to pave her way to completing a Masters of Social Work at Charles Darwin University.

She decided to appeal the decision after meeting with lawyers, but conceded it was “a little bit expensive” and put her in a “very hard situation”.

She needs to raise $7346 by September 13 – but Ms Gomez Lopez said she hoped to file the appeal three days early, to avoid leaving it to the last minute.

“I do have the money to pay for my education, but this will be extra money that I have to gather,” she said.

Luisa Gomez Lopez is raising money to appeal her visa decision in Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

As at Thursday, she has raised just more than $2k of her required amount.

She said she was incredibly grateful for the NT community – and her friends – for supporting her.

“Even people that I don’t know are donating now – names that I don’t recognise,“ she said.

“That’s very, very good, it means people are talking to other people and they are willing to help, so I think that what I’m doing is a good thing.”

With 18 months left to go in her current course, Ms Gomez Lopez said she was focused on finishing her studies for now, but was excited to see where her future career took her.

She said she would like to apply her new-found knowledge in the context of her own home, but she was also drawn to the Territory.

If she stayed in the NT after graduating, Ms Gomez Lopez said she would like to offer support to services in remote communities.

Donate to her GoFundMe here.

Originally published as Luisa Gomez Lopez’s $7346 visa fight to finish her studies in Darwin