“A minor disability should not be a reason for deportation. Let our family and our little son, Adyan stay in our hometown Geelong. PLEASE SHARE and sign our Change.org petition to let us stay here: http://chng.it/QwXm2VcB2T We love Geelong and Australia, and think of it as our home. I have completed my PhD in engineering here, and my wife who was a doctor in Bangladesh is becoming a registered GP here. We are hardworking, self-sufficient parents who have built a life for our son in this beautiful country, we will have the means to pay for any physio that Adyan requires.
“Adyan was born in Geelong on 26 December 2013, our own Boxing Day miracle. Due to a mild stroke that he suffered during delivery, Adyan lives with a minor disability, mainly in his left hand. Because of this, the Government is trying to deport our entire family to Bangladesh.
“In December 2016, our family’s application for permanent residency was refused by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection – because Adyan was assessed as having a condition that made him a burden on the Australian taxpayer. In support, Adyan’s paediatrician Professor Peter Vuillermin had written a letter to say Adyan had made “superb progress” and “functions very well”. He said Adyan would be able to attend mainstream schools and would only require “limited physiotherapy and occupational therapy”.
“We appealed the decision to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, but the tribunal does not have the power to overturn the health assessment. Our final hope rests with a ministerial intervention by Immigration Minister David Coleman to support our case. We have addressed the Change.org petition to this Minister.
“Meanwhile, according to reports from his specialist, Adyan is cognitively developing like any other child. He is independent in his physical movement, he loves to run, jump and play like any other carefree 5 year old. His teachers at kindergarten are happy with him and think he is a delight. He only requires limited physiotherapy and occupational therapy services, which we pay for ourselves.
“We are afraid that if Adyan is deported to my old home of Bangladesh, his development-related therapy will stop.
“We are also afraid of the severe social discrimination that Adyan might face in Bangladesh because of his mild disability. It is so important to us that Adyan continues to develop as a normal kid in Geelong, Australia, the only home he has ever known.
“We are under immense stress and are counting each day that passes, fearing possible deportation.
“Please sign this petition if you believe Adyan has the right to grow and live a healthy life in Geelong, Australia. A child’s disability is no reason to deport them from the only life they have ever known. I have been offered a research position at Deakin University if our family’s permanent residency visa is granted, and my wife will work as a GP. Please, support us as we fight for the opportunity to contribute to our community, and give our little miracle the life he deserves.” This story comes from Adyan’s Dad, Md Mahedi Hasan Bhuiyan. I’d met Mahedi’s brother and wife on a flight earlier this year and they alerted me to the family’s plight.
Story: Jacqui Bennett. Photo: supplied
HuG 