A German woman living in Australia has been reduced to tears after being forced to leave her “forever home”.
Julia Schmitt arrived in Australia over four years ago, and despite never expecting to settle down here, it became her home.
But in a heartbreaking twist, the 24-year-old has had to pack her life up alongside her boyfriend – a move she says took her by surprise.
“A few months ago, my life changed completely,” she told followers in an emotional Instagram video.
“I am leaving Australia, not for a holiday, but for good.
“We are leaving. Leaving behind the home we built over the last four years … I’m still grieving for losing my home, my friends and the life built here,” she said.
Speaking to news.com.au from a cafe in Lombok, Bali, Julia revealed the experience has been “one of the hardest things of her life.”
Her partner was on a ‘482’ visa, which allows employers to sponsor a skilled worker to fill a position where they can’t source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
The pair were just one year away from being eligible to apply for permanent residency when her partner’s occupation of property management was removed from the visa list.
With six months’ notice, the couple packed up their lives in Coolangatta and boarded a plane last Friday.
“Australia is amazing, and we were devastated to leave. It was very unexpected,” she said.
Julia came to Australia when she was 19 years old on a working holiday visa, where she worked as a receptionist in Port Douglas before going on to work in marketing and study at university online.
The pair paid upwards of $10,000 for their visas, not including a $700 fee and other expenses that came with the process.
But despite this, and the difficulties of leaving her family behind, Julia knew she loved Australia and all things “warm and beachy.”
“We really created our life there,” she said.
Fellow expats rallied around Julia in the comment section, revealing the “complexities” that come with having a visa.
“The unknown future is really scary. I’m leaving Australia in two days after six years here … it’s so weird and sad,” wrote one viewer.
“The journey to permanent residency in Australia can be hellish. I’ve been close to having to leave too,” said another.
“Australia will miss your light,” wrote a third.
Julia believes there should be amendments made to the immigration system to ensure it runs on a case-by-case basis, rather than being so black and white.
“The sad thing is that there’s no room for special cases or consideration.
“We were already in the occupations, and my partner was really good at his job. He would’ve had another sponsor, but it was no longer possible since his occupation was taken off the list,” she said.
Julia and her partner wish they could have stayed in Australia, but believe that “maybe it’s just not meant to be.”
“If we had the channels to stay there, it would be a dream, but when the signs are sending you in a different direction, you should just follow them instead of fighting it,” she said.
Unfortunately, Julia’s case is hardly unique.
A Ukrainian-Italian family with deep ties to a tight-knit Adelaide community are facing the possibility of being forced out of the country within one month, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.
Svitlana Kushlak and her family are desperately fighting for a visa to stay in Adelaide’s western beaches community and continue to run their popular Henley Breeze cafe.
The family’s visa is set to expire this week, and the community has banded together to petition the government to support the family of four to stay.
From Friday, the family could be forced to shut their doors, cut 10 local jobs, pull their child out of school and start all over again in a country where their youngest doesn’t even speak the local language.
News.com.au has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
