A 10-year-old boy from the Philippines facing deportation because he has autism has hand-delivered a letter he wrote, along with a petition containing more than 122,000 signatures, to the office of the immigration minister Peter Dutton.
Tyrone and his mother, Maria Sevilla, have been in Australia for almost eight years.
But Sevilla’s application to have her skilled provisional work visa renewed was rejected because Tyrone was diagnosed with autism after moving to Australia.
Sevilla works as a registered nurse in Townsville, where she was recently promoted to a clinical position. But with her visa expiring on Monday night, she was forced to take leave without pay.
The family’s plight led to people from around the world signing their petition calling on the government and Dutton to allow them to stay. A letter written by Tyrone on Saturday night for the minister reads: “Can I stay in Australia please.”
“Since last Saturday I have been living without pay,” Sevilla told Guardian Australia after she and Tyrone delivered the letter and petition to Dutton’s electoral office in Strathpine, Queensland, on Monday.
“It’s really stressful because you don’t know what’s going to happen and you don’t know when to say goodbye to everyone, we’re sort of ... stuck.”
Sevilla fears that if they are deported the treatment options for Tyrone will be of a poorer standard than those available in Australia, and that the upheaval and lack of support may make his condition worse.
As she waits to hear a response from Dutton, Sevilla said she has applied for a bridging visa which would allow her to continue working. This has yet to be approved, she said.
“If this is not granted, we will have to leave the country within seven days,” she said.
Sevilla said Tyrone had grown increasingly anxious in recent days.
Their story gained renewed attention after it was told by a friend of Tyrone’s on the ABC’s Q&A program last Monday night.
A spokesman from Dutton’s office declined to say whether it was likely that their appeal would be successful. He would say only that the department was compiling a report which would be delivered to the minister. The spokesman would not say how long that process would take.
Dutton told the ABC on Monday morning he was confident the bridging visa would be granted and that the Sevillas would not be deported while he considered their case.
“In this case we need to apply common sense,” Dutton said. “We’re a compassionate society and we want to help families in difficult situations.”
Under Australian law, the department would more closely examine what Tyrone’s health needs might be as they considered whether to let him and his mother stay long term, he said.
“So if it’s autism they will look at resources available in Australia to provide lots of assistance for kids with autism in particular in relation to schooling ... all of that which we would expect for Australian children,” Dutton said. “They, under the law, have to look at whether or not accepting people in that circumstance would displace Australian children from the programs being provided from state and territory governments, as well as a commonwealth government.
“That’s the law they have to operate under.”
