Australian Chinese and Indian communities are co-sponsoring the petition and are planning to hold a number of rally to oppose changes to the revenue threshold for the (Assurance of Support), an economic guarantee scheme.
Last month, Australia`s Home Office significantly raised the income threshold for parents and relatives to apply for permanent visas, according to SBS. The change in policy has left many immigrant families in a difficult position.
Liu Zengqiu, a Chinese immigrant who filed an immigration visa application for his parents nine years ago, said the reform was unfair, said Liu Zengqiu, a Chinese immigrant who filed an immigration visa for his parents nine years ago. "income requirements continue to rise," he told the media. I don`t know what to do. It`s really stressful. "
Chinese immigrant Liu Zengzhang (Zengchi Liu, transliteration) and his family
At present, the Chinese community has launched petition (click to the petition page), calling on the Federal Parliament to reject reforms to increase economic guarantees, and members of the Indian community, who have long sought visas for parents` stay, have joined the petition.
Arvind Duggal, representative of the Indian Community`s long stay Visa campaign, said: "We are helping to promote the petition that has been launched by the Chinese community and to communicate the issue to all politicians and community leaders contacted during the campaign."
Mr Liu hopes the reform will be reversed with the concerted efforts of Chinese and Indian communities.
"it is good that members of India and the Chinese community are now working together to protest against these reforms to the economic guarantee scheme. Government needs to be clear. It`s very unfair. "
Shruti Gupta, an Indian immigrant, fears that if the plan is not rescinded, her elderly mother-in-law will have to stay in India.
"she was left alone in India," Gupta told the media. My father-in-law died and no one took care of her. We hope she can come to Australia, but this reform has completely disrupted our plans. "
Gupta works in the security industry, and her husband lives by driving a taxi. The couple`s income, she says, simply fails to meet the new income threshold. "this is very unfair, and very unfair. New immigrants like us are not only under economic pressure, but also have a lot of impact on us as a result of the frequent revision of the legislation. "
(photo source: SBS)
Many immigrant families, which have paid tens of thousands of Australian dollars in visa fees, now find themselves unqualified to provide mandatory financial guarantees to their parents. She said: "in India this money can buy a house, I hope they can revoke this rule."
In May last year, following years of appeals from Indian communities, the Federal government announced a special visa for immigrant parents to stay in Australia for up to 10 years. But many immigrant communities do not buy the policy. The three-year visa costs A $5000, while the five-year visa costs as much as A $10000 and can only be renewed once.
Indian immigrant Arvind Duggal said: "Visa costs are too high to be affordable only to the rich." This is not what government promised. The same is true of the economic guarantee plan. Everyone has the right to live with his family and elderly parents, not just the privilege of the rich. "
Although the Unionparty government promised a long-term stay visa for parents on the eve of the 2016 federal election, it has not yet been formally implemented.
