A family who has lived and worked in Australia for 18 years face deportation after they were scammed by an immigration officer.
Wonsang Lee, his partner Soonyoung Park and their children Sojung, 25, and Donghoon, 23, have lived in Melbourne since 2005.
Mr Lee applied for permanent residency in 2016 but his application was denied after his migration agent disappeared with the family’s $20,000.
They have pleaded to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles for ministerial intervention as they now face the prospect of being sent back to South Korea.
Sojung is the only family member who is allowed to stay in Australia as he has been granted permanent residency – meaning he could be left alone in the country.
A family who has lived in Australia since 2005 face deportation after they were scammed of $20,000 and a chance at a permanent visa by their migration agent (pictured)
The family have started a Change.org petition pleading for Mr Giles to personally consider their situation.
‘We have built a life here in Australia, and leaving would mean leaving behind the place we have called home for almost two decades,’ Mr Lee wrote.
Mr Lee had recently worked as a travel agent after spending years as a bus driver while Ms Park has spent over a decade as a registered nurse.
Sojung has also taken after her mother, studying as a nurse and working long hours on the front line throughout the Covid pandemic.
‘This situation has caused significant stress and emotional hardship for my family and me, as we have lost valuable time and our only genuine opportunity to become permanent residents,’ Mr Lee wrote.
‘We came to this country with dreams and aspirations of building a meaningful and dedicated life in a place that values freedom, respect, and equal opportunities.
‘Australia has become our home, and we have contributed to this society through our work and daily lives.’
The father pleaded for help from Australians as his family fear being separated across the world.
‘We are dependent on each other for mental and social support, and it would be a difficult situation for my daughter to remain in Australia alone,’ Mr Lee wrote.
The petition currently has over 11,000 signatures of its 15,000 goal.
They have called on Immigration minister, Andrew Giles (pictured), intervene on the immigration status so they can continue to live in Australia
Mr Lee explained he had applied for an Employer Nomination Scheme visa in 2016.
He claimed his migration officer ran away with the $20,000 after writing up fraudulent visa forms that she claimed were submitted with the Department of Immigration.
The migration agent reportedly had their registration cancelled by the Department of Immigration’s Professional Standards and Integrity Office in April of 2016 following another case of fraud in 2014, Herald Sun reported.
The department said the agent had manufactured ‘fraudulent departmental correspondence’ and demonstrated behaviour of an ‘extremely serious nature’.
The Lee family have received cross-bench support from two MPs, including Labor’s Ged Kearney and Liberal Party member Michael Sukkar, as they make their bid to stay in Australia.
The family have two potential options for visas, another three-month bridging visa which would give them time to apply for a Parent visa.
However, a Parents visa can take over a decade to process, meaning the family would have to relocate back to South Korea where the visa may not be granted.
‘We are calling on the Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles MP to consider our case with compassion and empathy, so we can continue living in Australia as a family,’ Mr Lee wrote.
‘This is our last hope and chance, our future as a family hangs in the balance.’
