For almost two years, Preet and Amandeep Chechi have endured sleepless nights.
Their son, Gurman, who was born in Hobart, left Australia with his grandmother at the end of 2019 to visit extended family in India.
They hadn't seen him since.
The time difference between Australia and India meant it was difficult to line up video calls during the day.
So instead, their days started and ended with video calls with their son, peppered with three or four additional calls during the night.
Ms Chechi said she would have made different choices had she known it would be so long until she saw her son again.
Gurman was seven months old when his parents last saw him. He is now two.
But today, the family were reunited, after months of failed applications to the federal government to bring Gurman home.
"[I'm] just over the moon today. Very happy. Very, very happy," Ms Chechi said.
"I was really nervous, very nervous and excited as well, both things together."
And she had a message for those with loved ones still stuck overseas.
"Just don't give up. Keep trying and one day it will happen."
The family had applied for an exemption for Ms Chechi's mother to bring Gurman home at least 10 times until they were told in July they were successful.
Mr Chechi has lived in Australia since 2014. His wife followed two years later.
The couple have temporary residency but plan to stay in Australia permanently.
"We are going to stay in Tassie for a long time. We applied for residency and it's a nice place, good place for kids," Mr Chechi said.
"We moved for a better future," Ms Chechi added.
Ms Chechi is looking forward to Gurman settling into his Australian life.
"I just want him to do whatever he likes; he can become that. But I think he's going to become a very good footballer because he loves playing football all the time," she said.
"He says he wants to become a doctor."
Federal government working to repatriate residents
Since March 2020, almost 26,300 Australians who registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have returned from India, of which approximately 10,800 were directly assisted by the government on 64 facilitated flights.
DFAT says its highest priority is "helping vulnerable Australians overseas".
"We want to see families reunited, but we must ensure the travel of minors is undertaken in appropriate and safe circumstances," a spokeswoman said.
She said the department was working with families in across India and Australia on a case-by-case basis to ensure the travel of children is undertaken safely.
