The Australian government is known for its tough, no-nonsense immigration policies. But a decision that leaves a 104-year-old mainland woman at risk of deportation after living in the country for a decade is extremely harsh, even by those standards.
Hu Cuiyu, from Harbin, had her application for an aged-parent visa rejected by the immigration authorities. This effectively makes her a 'non-citizen' and puts her at risk of being detained - and then kicked out of Australia.
Thankfully, it is almost certain that this will not be allowed to happen. Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone has promised to review the case and that Mrs Hu would be treated with compassion. Although she did not want to pre-empt an appeal now under way against the visa decision, Senator Vanstone made it clear that this elderly immigrant would not be forced to pack her bags.
But the experience has been an unpleasant one for Mrs Hu. It is a striking - and most unfortunate - example of what can happen when a person's fate is left in the hands of the great, callous bureaucratic machine.
On any reasonable consideration of the case, Mrs Hu would have been given a visa. She arrived in Australia 10 years ago to visit her adopted daughter. But when she tried to go home at the end of her permitted 12-month stay, no airline would take her. She was considered too old and frail. So she stayed in Australia - on a bridging visa. She has now outlived all her family in China and has no one to return to. Her only relatives are her daughter and son-in-law, who both live in Australia. It is not surprising that she is said to have been shocked and sad when learning that her visa application had been rejected.
Ironically, in the same week she received a letter from Prime Minister John Howard, sending his 'best personal wishes' on her 104th birthday.
