A Melbourne schoolboy could be left in Australia while his parents are deported, in a shocking immigration battle threatening to rip his family apart.
Stiven Singh and his wife Amandeep have lived in Melbourne for 16 years. They have worked full-time, paid taxes and raised their only son Abhijot – a talented cricket player who was born in Australia.
Yet, after the Albanese government let in a record number of new immigrants over the last few years, the Singh’s have been told they have to pack their bags and leave, but that, bizarrely, Abhijot can stay by himself because he was born here.
‘If the federal government has its way, he could remain here home alone while his Indian parents are deported,’ the family’s lawyer, Joseph Italiano, told A Current Affair.
Twelve-year-old Abhijot, a student leader at his school at Wyndham Vale, in Melbourne’s west, was born and raised in Australia.
Under Australian law a child born in the country must live here for 10 years before they are an official resident, so he is allowed to stay.
Mr and Mrs Singh, on the other hand, arrived from India in 2009 and have survived for years on bridging visas. They face deportation within weeks after their bid for permanent residency was rejected.
The looming family split follows the government inviting record numbers of new arrivals, with 446,000 people arriving in the 2023–24 financial year. Immigration has cooled somewhat since then, but is still much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
The Singh family (pictured) could be split up, with Abhijot’s parents facing deportation
Immigration Minister Tony Burke (pictured) said the family should ‘respect’ migration laws
The family’s case has already been considered at the highest levels of government.
Home Affairs officials outlined options that could have allowed the Singhs to stay, but their lawyer revealed that Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite rejected them, in just minutes.
‘The Minister took 25 minutes to read all these copious documents. Twenty-five minutes. The time it takes me to have a cappuccino. To say you can leave,’ the lawyer said
‘This boy was made an Australian on his 10th birthday and on his 12th birthday he’s being asked to leave.’
The parents have been told to leave the country by November or they will be deported.
For Abhijot, the thought of moving to India is terrifying.
‘Like India is really hard to learn. It’s really hard. Like, like, I don’t know the language or anything,’ he said.
If he leaves with his parents, Indian law means he could lose his Australian citizenship, and may never be able to return.
Abhijot’s mother Amandeep (pictured) and father must leave by November or be deported.
The Albanese government has invited record numbers of new immigrants into Australia but told the Singhs, who have lived here without trouble for 16 years, to get out
New rules now require cases similar the Singh’s to be escalated to the Immigration Minister.
‘He wants every applicant with a child born in Australia to be referred to him. And yet the assistant minister has seen fit to remove this family,’ the family’s lawyer added.
The family’s only option now is a High Court appeal, which would see an expensive legal fight, that could financially ruin them.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke responded to the family with a heartless message.
‘The couple has been told to leave. They should show their respect for Australian law,’ Burke said.
