The Australian left-center government that just came into power two months ago has ended a four-year-long fight for a Sri Lankan family seeking asylum. In May, they were granted temporary visas. Now, they came to a decision to allow the family to live in Australia permanently after they settled down in the tiny town of Biloela. The mother and father, Nades and Priya, fled Sri Lanka after filing for asylum. Their claims were rejected by the authorities after their visas expired.
The parents, along with their two young daughters, were taken away into immigration detention. Although the daughters were born in Australia, the country does not automatically grant citizenship to those born in the country as the United States does. At the time, Australia had a conservative government that continued attempting to deport them back to Sri Lanka. However, the family had gathered a growing group of supporters who campaigned for their release. The family started attracting many human rights groups who saw them as a symbol of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. Australia’s immigration minister states that the family was under complex circumstances, and they will continue to intercept any asylum seekers. The Sri Lankan parents had fled their country due to intense violence caused by a civil war that raged for decades. With their status finally resolved for good, they feel at peace knowing their daughters can grow up in Australia under safe conditions. The family’s story inspires those seeking asylum and shows that anything is possible.
