Good news! Adyan and his family can stay in Geelong. They were granted permanent residency on June 11, 2020 at 6pm. This is yet another example of community support and people power. Mahedi, Adyan’s father, tells us “I am very grateful to Humans in Geelong for being the first to share our story and for encouraging people to sign the petition to let Adyan stay. I’d like to thank the people of Geelong for standing by us and supporting us during this critical period of uncertainty. Our family will continue to work for the development of Geelong as we are eternally grateful.”
Here is our original story from Mahedi, posted Nov 1st 2019: “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. We love Geelong and Australia, and think of it as our home. I have completed my PhD in engineering here, and my wife who is qualified as a Doctor in Bangladesh is studying to be 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. We appealed with no luck. 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.
“We are afraid that if Adyan is deported to my old home of Bangladesh, his development-related therapy will stop and 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.”
Adyan finished kindergarten and has started Prep.
This story comes from Adyan’s Dad, Md Mahedi Hasan Bhuiyan. I’d met Mahedi’s brother and wife on a flight in 2019 and they alerted me to the family’s plight.
Story: Jacqui Bennett. Photo: supplied
HuG 