Help keep These Children From Being Deported

Hi family and friends, my name is Troy, and my children who have been living in Australia since 2009; recently got their visa applications refused by Aus Immigration..And now they are facing deportation on the 10th of November 2022..

They were on 461 visas (Family Relation of NZ Citizen) which expired on April 20, 2021; in the middle of a global pandemic and also while I was stuck in the Phiippines, unable to return to them due to travel bans.

As you can imagine, it was a very stressful and near-impossible task getting their application lodged before their last ones expired.. The logistical nightmare began when their Papua New Guinea passports expired in May 2020, and for months on end, I was trying to get their passports renewed but the passport office in PNG was closed due to covid. And when they finally opened in October 2020, they only processed two of the boys and left one out..

We had a hard time, but we eventually got his new passport. We then had to get forms from Philippines to Port Moresby, get their mothers to sign, and get the forms and passports to the children in Australia...yes all while there were endless cancelled flights and disrupted services. Then from the children in Cairns, we had to courier everything to the visa processing office in Sydney..

Try as we did, we just couldn't do it in time. And we ended up lodging the applications 22 days late..

The four kids were granted bridging visas in May 2021, awaiting the processing of the substantive visa.. But on the 20th of October, we received an email advising us that the visas had been refused and that the kids had 21 days to lodge an appeal or leave the country back to Papua New Guinea..

At the time of creating this gofundme, I had today met with a migration agent in Cairns to seek advice and his services to help us with the appeal (with 13 days left to appeal)..

These kids have no home to return to in PNG.. Cairns is their home.. We have no income or house in PNG.. We have never asked for or received one cent from either New Zealand, Australian, or Papua New Guinean governments..even during the covid pandemic. My two eldest boys work (one at a bar, one putting up fences), and the third boy has just finished year 12 and is eager to work. My daughter is still doing her year 8.

My small business in PNG got destroyed by the pandemic, and I am feverishly looking for work now that I am back in Australia..and while awaiting results of all my job applications (over 70 now), I am doing odd jobs in the community to help in our household, while the small wages my two boys are earning are spread between servicing the mortgage (now $3,000 per month) and keeping us afloat..And now the bill from the migration agent has just absolutely floored us..

* Australian Appeals Tribunal - Appeal Fee: $3,000

* Migration Lawyer - One Off Fee for researching, compiling the appeal, attending hearing etc: $11,500 !!

We need to come up with $14,500 within the next week, so the lawyer can get started and lodge our appeal by the 07th of November otherwise my children will be forcefully deported on the 23rd of November.

These children will be walking out of the terminal in Port Moresby onto the streets with nowhere to live.

PLEASE dear friend, these are good, honest, and hardworking kids who have never harmed anyone. PLEASE if you can help, we will be forever indebted to you.

I ABSOLUTELY INTEND TO AND PROMISE TO PAY EVERYBODY BACK FOR WHATEVER AMOUNT YOU HELP US WITH. I am confident I will have secured employment by November and will pay back $1,000 ON A WEEKLY BASIS (divided accordingly) until everybody has been paid back in full.

The migration agent we are trying to engage is:

John Young Immigration Agency

P: 07 4041 3955

E: [email redacted].au

2/196 Sheridan Street

Cairns North, QLD 4870

Please feel free to contact John to confirm if my children have indeed been quoted this price by his firm.

I will send every payment receipt to all donors as we make payments. And update everybody every step of the way.

God knows how much your help will mean to my children and me, and there is nothing I will not do to get your most-kind generosity repaid as fast as possible.

I've written to all the NGO's that help with this kind of stuff; however, they seem only interested in helping refugees from non-english speaking countries. Nevermind Australian educated children who are posed to be productive residents in a country they love and cherish that are about to be kicked out and sent to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

We are confident of winning the appeal because there are "compelling grounds" that were not factored in or even ignored by the decision maker at Australian Home Affairs, and the fact that this department offers a 28 day grace period for 'over-stayers' to apply for a new visa. We applied only 22 days late.

If anybody would like a copy of the refusal letter from Australian Home Affairs, I will be happy to send it to you.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

Troy N. Tetley