A family reunited
NEWS | Migration Justice
For almost five years, the Australian government refused to process Abdullah and Fatima’s family visa application, so the Human Rights Law Centre supported the family to challenge the delay in court. The Government conceded the case and granted the family’s visas. Fatima and the children have now been reunited with Abdullah in Australia and have begun rebuilding their lives together in safety.
Endless delays in Australia’s intentionally cruel family migration system are keeping thousands of people separated from their loved ones for years on end. This was the terrible reality for our clients Abdullah and Fatima. Abdullah, who has permanent refugee protection in Australia, applied to be reunited with his wife Fatima and their children back in 2017. Fatima and the children had been living as refugees in Pakistan after a missile attack destroyed their home in Afghanistan, tragically killing one child and seriously injuring another.
For almost five years, the Australian government refused to process Abdullah and Fatima’s family visa application, so the Human Rights Law Centre supported the family to challenge the delay in court. Just weeks before the court hearing, the government conceded the case and granted the family’s visas. Fatima and the children have now been reunited with Abdullah in Australia and have begun rebuilding their lives together in safety.
“I waited so many years to be with my family. Being reunited with them is a relief. I wish that the Australian Government could have processed the visas faster. There are lots of other people just like us – if the government can act faster on their visas, that would mean a whole new world for those families.”
- Abdullah
Fatima and Abdullah chose to share their story publicly, so the Australian community can continue to learn about the government’s intentional separation of refugees from their families. We helped them share their story across national television, radio and print news.
This outcome shows how legal action and public advocacy are powerful tools to tackle injustice. But Fatima and Abdullah’s family are just one of thousands of families who have been waiting for years to be reunited while their visa applications have stalled. And more than a year after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, thousands of Australians remain separated from loved ones in Afghanistan, where the humanitarian situation is increasingly dire. We continue to call on the Federal Government to take urgent action to address visa processing delays and reunite families who have been cruelly separated for years.