Visa update means Murray Bridge mum can stay with her family

This story is free to read. Help Murray Bridge News tell more stories like this by subscribing today.

A Murray Bridge mum facing deportation over a mistake on her visa application a decade ago will be allowed to stay with her family after all, at least for now.

Ying-Hsi Chou had been warned by the federal Department of Home Affairs to leave the country or face further consequences if she remained after her visa expired this Sunday April 12.

She would have had to travel to Taiwan – where she is a citizen – and wait for up to three years to apply for a new visa.

That would have left her three children without a mother, and their father struggling to raise them on a single income.

Two days before the deadline, though, relief arrived.

On Friday, she was granted a temporary bridging visa which will allow her to stay in Murray Bridge and continue her everyday life until at least May 15.

Murray Bridge News understands that Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite is aware of her situation and considering whether to intervene personally.

Both he and federal MP Tony Pasin have sought more information from Ms Chou and her family this week.

The family has also gathered more than 3800 signatures on a petition urging the government to intervene.

Commenters on this publication’s social media channels have called for mercy, too:

• “Please let her stay. She has a husband and beautiful children. Don’t take that away from her … Yes, we all make mistakes in our lives but we should be supportive of the good people and families in our country, especially our own town.” –Jenine Pearn
• “All of us have made mistakes we wish we could take back, and this woman has come to Australia, worked, paid tax, contributed to the community in a positive way, created a life and is just trying to provide the best for her family.” –Sally Holland
• “The government was quick to give Iranian women from a soccer team a visa but a woman who has contributed to our country by working, paying taxes etc is going to be deported?” –Alex Nicolic

Mr Cox told Murray Bridge News that the media – first this publication and the Manly Observer, then The Advertiser, Nine and SBS – had been a “major help”.

New state MP Robert Roylance told Murray Bridge News he was willing to vouch for the family, too, as he had known them for about two years.

Ms Chou’s deportation “shouldn’t be happening,” he said.

What can the Immigration Minister do?

Under the Migration Act, Immigration and Citizenship Minister Tony Burke and Assistant Minister Thistlethwaite have the power to intervene personally in cases where they believe it is in the public interest for a bureaucratic decision to be reversed.

Interventions occur outside the usual visa application process.

Murray Bridge News understands that such interventions may be subject to an Australian values statement – that is, applicants are required to make reasonable efforts to learn English and to uphold our nation’s values.

Such values include freedom, the rule of law, democracy and a fair go for all.

The success rate for individuals who seek ministerial intervention is typically less than 10 per cent, according to Melbourne law firm Katsaros and Associates.

• Sign the petition: www.change.org.
• More information: For the minister’s powers, visit immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. For Australian values, visit immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
• Read more: Murray Bridge mum pleads for help as she faces deportation

Clarification: This story has been updated twice, first to clarify the sequence of events that will follow if Ms Chou's visa expires, and then with the news about her bridging visa.