Lawyer pleads with Home Affairs minister to save hardworking family from deportation
The Home Affairs minister should urgently intervene in the case of a hardworking family facing deportation, a lawyer representing them says, citing compassionate grounds and their “significant contribution” to the community.
The home affairs minister should urgently intervene in the case of a hardworking family facing deportation to South Africa, their lawyer says, citing their compassionate circumstances and “significant contribution” to the community as reasons to support their application.
Sambi Legal director Tanguy Mwilambwe, who is representing Johan and Nadia Muller, along with their three children, called on Tony Burke to review the Muller family’s case, saying they met the criteria for ministerial intervention.
“The family has become deeply integrated into the Australian community and should be allowed to apply for skilled work visas,” he said.
“If deported, the Muller family would also face significant hardships in South Africa, including financial burdens as they no longer have any assets or income there, emotional difficulties, and other issues such as the children cannot read or write Afrikaans.”
The Daily Telegraph revealed last month how the Muller family became stranded in Sydney and spent five years in visa limbo after Australia closed its international borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mullers said they registered “multiple times” for government-facilitated repatriation flights, but every attempt failed with flights filling up within minutes.
This led to them being placed on bridging visas, with conditions that allowed Mr and Ms Muller to work, and their children to study.
The family said they had established a life in Sydney, with Mr Muller running a sports court resurfacing business that employs 15 subcontractors.
Ms Muller works for a not-for-profit charity supporting people experiencing homelessness, and their children have attended school locally.
“The family’s compassionate circumstances and significant contribution to the Australian community should meet the criteria of ministerial intervention,” Mr Mwilambwe said.
“They are ultimately seeking the minister’s help to allow them to apply for skilled work visas as we believe they meet the current criteria for intervention.”
Ms Muller told The Daily Telegraph she and her family had been living in “ongoing limbo” and held “fears for their safety” if they were forced to return to Johannesburg, which is regarded as one of the developed world’s most dangerous cities.
“We really hope Mr Burke can have some compassion for our family and grant us ministerial intervention,” Ms Muller said.
“Pulling my kids out of school and starting a whole new life for them would be so tough.
“To start all over again and to go back with nothing and to nothing would be gut-wrenching.”
Ms Muller said she also wanted to respond to criticisms suggesting her family could have “simply returned” when the borders reopened.
“We did not intentionally plan to live here and we did everything in our power to get repatriation flights at the time,” she said.
“When international borders reopened in February 2022, we couldn’t afford to go back to South Africa.
“We made the emotional decision to sell off everything in South Africa to survive here.”
The family’s change.org petition has gained more than 1000 signatures.
The Mullers previously said they had engaged in various immigration lawyers, costing them up to $50,000 in legal fees in the past five years.
A Home Affairs spokesperson said: “Due to privacy reasons, the department cannot comment on individual cases.”
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Originally published as Lawyer pleads with Home Affairs minister to save hardworking family from deportation
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