Tom Owen hopes his son will be accepted by Australia after authorities intervened in another case this week. 'The word goes around that Down syndrome kids should be accepted, but then you've got rules like this in place that totally discriminate,' he said.
Tom Owen was overwhelmed by this week's news that a Perth family with a child who has Down syndrome was granted a permanent visa to stay in Australia.
But Mr Owen said when he rang the Department after Jakob's birth, he was advised not to bother continuing to progress his visa application because of his son's diagnosis. He said he was told the family should instead apply for a refund, which ultimately was not granted. Mr Owen said the family has spent around $30,000 on visa applications and described the latest situation as "a joke".
Mr Owen believes any expenses for their son would be covered by taxes paid by him and his wife, who has several jobs including working as a hair and makeup artist. Down syndrome kids should be accepted, but then you've got rules like this in place that totally discriminate.People With Disability Australia treasurer Suresh Rajan is representing Aneesh Kollikkara and Krishna Aneesh, the family who had their visa approved this week. Prior to the minister's announcement, he said the treatment of the families had been "extraordinary"."We talk about the fact that we are signatories to that convention.
Labor last week confirmed it had engaged an expert to review the threshold for permanent residency applications. SBS News understands the expert is a health economist who currently works with the department.
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