Permanent Visa Granted to Autistic Boy and Mother
Maria Sevilla arrived in Australia with her son Tyrone in 2007 on a skilled provisional work visa. She has trained and worked as a nurse in Townsville, Queensland since then and applied to renew her visa recently. Sadly, her son was diagnosed with autism six months after they arrived in Australia, and when the government were informed of this her visa renewal application was rejected.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton explained that programs and resources for differently-abled Australian children are already lacking and that an assessment of the Sevilla’s visa application would have to take this into account. Dutton has to ensure that we can adequately support the education and medical treatment of Australia’s own children before committing itself to Tyrone’s case.