Dying Pakistani student's family denied Australia visa

LONDON: -- Australian authorities have refused to grant a visa to the family of a Pakistani student dying of skin cancer.

Hassan Asif, 25, is in the final stages of his life and unable to fly home to Pakistan because he is too sick.

Mr Asif came to Australia to study architecture, but was diagnosed with terminal skin cancer in July.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35165531


-- BBC 2015-12-23

Inhuman. No other word describes this action.

Edited December 23, 201510 yr by kandi

Strange Australian government usually buckle when put under media pressure ,

Inhuman. No other word describes this action.

I hear ya! But lets try and start a thread of them.

I will start with - Disgraceful!

This story does not pass the sniff test. The BBC might be trying to claim there were no flights from Oz to Pakistan since July, but I can assure everybody there was. So why didn't the lad go home to see his family - considering there was no hope in treating his cancer? He didn't expect Australian immigration rules could apply to him and his family??

No sympathy for those trying to use our equal and democratic system against us.

Disgusting.

Replace Thailand with Australia and this thread would run to infinity.

Dont believe its that straight forward.

Oz news source and better detail please

This story does not pass the sniff test. The BBC might be trying to claim there were no flights from Oz to Pakistan since July, but I can assure everybody there was. So why didn't the lad go home to see his family - considering there was no hope in treating his cancer? He didn't expect Australian immigration rules could apply to him and his family??

No sympathy for those trying to use our equal and democratic system against us.

The guy is in Oz on a student visa to study architecture at university. The airlines have refused to carry the student due to his illness. His treating doctors anticipate he will die within a month. His mother & brother have not applied for migration to Oz, only that they have the opportunity to be with him prior to his death as he had no family in Oz. Immigration bureaucrats have refused to review the decision not to grant visitor visas based upon the original application for his Mother & brother, although Immi advised they can re-apply. Given the very short time of life expectancy an appeal has been lodged directly with the Immigration Minister to expedite a decision.

Given your support for far right ideology I find it peculiar you talk to equality and democracy.

Edited December 23, 201510 yr by simple1

Dying Pakistani student Hassan Asif denied final visit from family by immigration department
Kate Aubusson

SYDNEY: -- A terminally ill student who wanted to see his family one last time has had his request rejected by Australia's immigration department.

Hassan Asif, 25, moved to Melbourne from Pakistan in 2014 on a student visa before being diagnosed with advanced skin cancer in April, according to the ABC.

His end-of-life carers told the university undergraduate in November that he had entered the terminal phase of his cancer and had just weeks to live.

Mr Asif appealed to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to allow his mother and brother to travel to Australia and be by his side in his final days.

Full story: http://www.smh.com.au/national/dying-pakistani-student-denied-final-visit-from-family-by-immigration-department-20151222-gltoso.html


-- Sydney Morning Herald 2015-12-23

Australia is plenty companionate when it comes to helping people on the fringes of life,

and sometimes too willing to come to the rescue and extend a helping hands...

so if his Visa was rejected, I'm sure they had a good reason for it, and just because

he was dying that doesn't make it ok for people not to adhere to the immigration rules

of the Australian government...

Australia is plenty companionate when it comes to helping people on the fringes of life,

and sometimes too willing to come to the rescue and extend a helping hands...

so if his Visa was rejected, I'm sure they had a good reason for it, and just because

he was dying that doesn't make it ok for people not to adhere to the immigration rules

of the Australian government...

The student's visa was not rejected.

Update from news.com Australia,

The mother of the dying man was allowed to come to Australia to visit him...

Shameful and despicable act by Dutton. Lowest of the low.

https://www.change.org/p/peter-dutton-please-let-hassan-s-mother-to-visit-him-in-his-last-days-so-he-can-pass-away-in-peace?source_location=trending_petitions_home_page&algorithm=curated_trending

Update: Visas now approved

I see the BBC is reporting that the Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has overturned the decision, visas will now be granted.

Visas for the family of a dying Pakistani student in Australia have been approved.

Hassan Asif, a 25-year-old Pakistani man who came to Australia on a student visa, has been told he has just weeks to live.

His mother and brother were initially refused visas to visit him.

"I'd asked the post in Islamabad to have a look at the case, to ask for additional information. That's happened and the visas have been approved," Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News on Wednesday, less than half an hour after facing the media on the matter.

"I'm hopeful that they can arrive in Australia soon and spend some time with their terminally ill son and brother.

"I think that's what most Australians would expect."

Earlier Mr Dutton said it was the "right decision" to initially refuse the visas based on the information that was provided.

"I think with further information and a subsequent application I think (it) can be dealt with fairly quickly," he told reporters in Brisbane.

He said the "decision-maker" had to weigh up whether or not somebody coming to Australia was likely to make a claim for protection or stay at a cost to the taxpayer.

Labor had called on Mr Dutton to overturn the visa decision, with immigration spokesman Richard Marles describing it as "disgraceful and heartless".

© AAP 2015

Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/12/23/12/30/dutton-told-to-explain-visa-decision#vOeO18Kc117b88Vc.99

Strange Australian government usually buckle when put under media pressure ,

and you were right !

Australia is plenty companionate when it comes to helping people on the fringes of life,

and sometimes too willing to come to the rescue and extend a helping hands...

so if his Visa was rejected, I'm sure they had a good reason for it, and just because

he was dying that doesn't make it ok for people not to adhere to the immigration rules

of the Australian government...

... just because he was dying ... ?

Have you got no feelings whatsoever inside you? I feel so sorry for you. If not even imminent death is ok for an exception, what is?

Let's hope you will never personally have to face a problem like this.

All fixed his family have been cleared to see their son in Australia.

If you had all read the link before you started posting you would have seen that the decision to deny a visa to the family had been overturned.

He would have had the oportunity to return 6 months ago when he was diagnosed. There would have been no problem with the airline then. Personally I do not like the original decision but as it was for the reason that many people from that country and area claim political asylum when they arive I understand it. Their presance will not save his life or alter the course of his illness.

He has had first class medical care throughout his illness without cost as he should.

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

Correct

My nephew is on a student visa since 3 years and he had to have private medical cover ( which is not cheap )

even so he is a enrolled nurse now he still needs his private cover

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

So I ask again, skin cancer isn't that debilitating a disease, at least in it's early stages, and it isnt contagious, so why was he not sent back home in July to be with his family when he received his terminal diagnosis?

Interesting that the backlash against the government was so great that the Government had to make the right decision and grant the visas, Pity Dutton didn't have the humanity in him to do it in the first place, I wonder if it was his family, would the same conditions apply?

Strange Australian government usually buckle when put under media pressure ,

They did - this afternoon!!!

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

So I ask again, skin cancer isn't that debilitating a disease, at least in it's early stages, and it isnt contagious, so why was he not sent back home in July to be with his family when he received his terminal diagnosis?

Very likely, Pakistan does not have the same level of treatment as Australia for skin cancer (Australians have some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world). Most countries would not force someone under medical care to return to their home country. At the time he was diagnosed, it may not have been considered terminal.

We have had a number of employees who have had to undergo medical treatment here and even the Thai gov't is quite compassionate in allowing them to remain.

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

So I ask again, skin cancer isn't that debilitating a disease, at least in it's early stages, and it isnt contagious, so why was he not sent back home in July to be with his family when he received his terminal diagnosis?

wow, so caring, so humane.

Why wasn't he sent back to Pakistan in July?

For international university students in Australia it is a mandatory condition for granting of a visa to have private medical cover - no expense to the taxpayer (government) for treatment.

So I ask again, skin cancer isn't that debilitating a disease, at least in it's early stages, and it isnt contagious, so why was he not sent back home in July to be with his family when he received his terminal diagnosis?

You obviously don't know much about skin cancer.

Skin cancer aka Melanoma is especially deadly and one of the most aggressive of all the cancers.

He was almost certainly stage 4 when he was diagnosed as survival for stage 4 patients is often only about six months.

It is quite rare in darker skin people but usually even more deadly.

He might have been treated with one of the new immuno drugs like Keytruda or Nivo which have had some spectacular results with some people and it would certainly have not been available in Pakistan.

Very sad for someone so young.

Kudos for the govt at least they reversed their original wrong decision. It would be shocking to die alone without family around for some comfort.