Perth family beg Immigration Minister Andrew Giles as they face deportation over son’s Down syndrome
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A family of four who have lived in Australia for seven years are told they have two weeks to leave the country because their son with Down syndrome is considered a “burden” to taxpayers.
- A Perth family was denied residency
- Her 10-year-old son has Down syndrome.
- Residency denied due to possible costs to the health system
A family of four is facing deportation after the Australian government denied them permanent residence because their son with Down syndrome is considered a “financial burden” on society.
Aneesh Kollikkara and Krishnadevi Aneesh, along with their 10-year-old son Aaryan and 8-year-old daughter Aaryasree, moved to Australia from India seven years ago.
They call Perth home, but the Immigration Department has denied the family’s permanent residency application due to the potential costs Aaryan’s disability could have on the healthcare system.
The parents’ application was rejected in mid-2021 after being submitted in February of the previous year.
The family has now been told they have less than two weeks to leave the country after their final appeal was denied last month.
Perth parents Krishnadevi Aneesh and Aneesh Kollikkara are fighting to stay in Australia with their children after their application for permanent residence was rejected because their 10-year-old son, Aaryan, has Down syndrome.
‘We haven’t mentioned anything to [our children]. If our daughter finds out that we have to leave the country because of her brother, I don’t know what it will be like,” said Ms. Aneesh. SBS News.
Mr. Kollikkara works in telecommunications, while Ms. Aneesh works as a cyber security expert, both industries considered critical.
“Our children have known no other home than Australia,” they wrote in a cambio.org petition, begging Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to intervene.
“Applying now to go to India is a seriously backward step in its development.”
Family friends called the government’s justification “disgusting” and “fundamentally concerning.”
“The case made by the Australian government is that Aaryan is a ‘burden’ on the taxpayer,” the petition said.
‘Considering this as appropriate is disgusting. But the ableism shown in our case is fundamentally worrisome.
‘The CMO has assessed the cost to the taxpayer if Aaryan were to access all disability services at very high cost.
‘The reality is that Aaryan does not access any services at all. And this is unlikely to ever change.
Aneesh and Krishna wrote Immigration Minister Andrew Giles (pictured) a letter desperately begging him to intervene.
Parents say that any taxpayer-funded services their child may access in the future are ‘well and truly’ covered by the significant tax they already pay.
Ms Aneesh said that her son would not be accepted in India as he was in Australia.
“The culture, the society, everything here is very different from India and it will also be very difficult for Aaryan to survive there because of this.” [disability]’, he told the abc.
‘Although he has Down Syndrome, he is very healthy… he has the same physical abilities as any other child.’
The family now hopes that Mr. Giles will approve their application and allow them to stay in the town where their children grew up.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Minister for the Department of the Interior and Immigration, Andrew Giles.
A Giles spokesperson told SBS that the minister is aware of the matter but does not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons.
Aneesh Kollikkara and Krishnadevi Aneesh, along with their 10-year-old son Aaryan and 8-year-old daughter Aaryasree, immigrated to Australia from India seven years ago. Both parents work in critical industries and say the tax they pay covers any services their son may need in the future.