A family caught in a deportation nightmare is fighting to stay in Australia almost 20 years after they made their home here.
Soonyoung Park – known to her friends as Lina – has years of memories living in Melbourne but could be booted out within two weeks after she was caught up in an immigration scam.
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Lina and her husband migrated from South Korea with their children in 2005.
The palliative neurology nurse, 52, and her family applied for permanent residency in 2016 but an immigration agent pocketed their money and failed to lodge their application.
“It’s always concerning when you have someone taken advantage of and paying huge amounts of money believing they’re applying for a visa,” immigration lawyer Carina Ford said.
The family’s only hope now is for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to step in.
In a promising development late on Wednesday, the minister agreed to review the family’s case.
“(Our children) grew up here and they cannot imagine going back,” Lina told 7NEWS
“There is nothing left in South Korea, especially to them.”
Lina says her nursing colleagues were incredibly supportive when she told them about an online petition that has gathered almost 12,000 signatures.
“I almost cried, but it was work, I couldn’t cry. But behind them I was (crying) in the car,” Lina said.
The family has lived in the eastern suburbs for 18 years but now must apply for bridging visas every two months.
If an application is rejected they will be forced to leave Australia in two weeks.
“Please see our contribution and then please don’t ignore us. Let us stay in Australia, We love Australia, (we) want to stay,” Lina pleaded.
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