Lily and her partner moved Down Under for a better life – but now they’ve been permanently forced apart from their Australian-born son for the cruellest reason

An Indonesian couple are set to bring their Australian-born son to the country after he was denied entry because of his disability.

Lily Lumintang, 43, and her partner have been fighting for four years to bring Jonathan to Down Under.

Jonathan, now 14, was born with cerebral palsy and was denied a residence permit because his condition was deemed too expensive for taxpayers.

Their son is being cared for by Mrs Lumintang’s father and mother-in-law while the couple appeal the decision.

Ms Lumintang, 43, cannot visit her son because she has a bridging visa, one of the conditions of which is that applicants are not allowed to re-enter Australia if they leave.

Recently she was hit hard again when her father died and she had to make an impossible choice: stay here and fight for her son, or return to Indonesia for the funeral and risk never returning to Australia.

“I can’t leave the country because of one family member, otherwise the future of the whole family would be destroyed,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘It would break my heart to leave Australia. We have community ties here: church, friends and employers.

Jonathan, 14, (pictured right) was recently cared for by his grandparents in Indonesia, but the family (left) suffered a huge blow when his grandfather died

“We both work full time and our entire support system is here.”

Ms Lumintang came to Australia from Indonesia on a student visa in mid-2009 to pursue a Masters degree in Accountancy.

She gave birth to Jonathan in 2010 and he lived in Australia for a number of years before being sent back to Indonesia in 2012 so that Mrs Lumintang could concentrate on her studies and set up a home.

After graduating and finding a full-time job, the construction company she worked for offered her permanent residency sponsorship in 2016.

As part of the ENS visa, Ms. Lumintang would be able to apply for permanent residence for herself and her family after a certain period of time.

Ms Lumintang and her partner provided the necessary documentation to the Australian government in 2019, but the COVID pandemic delayed the process and their application was ultimately rejected in November 2021.

Jonathan was only able to come to Australia for three weeks on a holiday visa during this period.

“My son dropped out (of the visa application) because of the high costs,” said Lumintang.

Jonathan (pictured as a young boy) failed Australian government health requirements because of his cerebral palsy. When one family member is denied a permanent residency application, so are everyone else. The Lumintangs face an uncertain future

“They said it would cost $1.2 million over 10 years because of things like the NDIS and special education.”

‘If one person is denied a family visa, the visa will be denied for everyone.’

Ms Lumintang immediately appealed to the Administrative Appeals Board, but she was not contacted until this year.

However, the family’s application was rejected again in June after authorities informed them that Jonathan would now cost taxpayers $2.3 million.

The family was given 35 days to leave Australia unless they applied for ministerial intervention, which Ms Lumingtang did.

“We’ve been told it will take six to 12 months to process the application,” she said.

“It’s devastating. We have to stay as long as Jonathan can’t get here.

“We don’t know how long it will take, but the bridging visa is our only option.”

The couple also applied for Jonathan’s citizenship in May 2021, but it was rejected three months later.

Ms Lumintang said the family’s income will drop drastically if they are forced to return to Indonesia.

Despite being born in Australia, Jonathan’s citizenship application was rejected because he had spent too much time overseas, partly due to Covid and his inability to return to Australia (pictured is Jonathan at a younger age).

“It’s a challenge to find a job there. There’s an age limit and it would require local experience in the field, which I don’t have,” she said.

Ms Lumintang said she felt “under pressure” and that the family was at “breaking point”.

“It’s hard. Last year Jonathan waited for us outside the house because he thought we would come right back and get him,” she said.

“He was sad.”