Two Gold Coast doctors have offered to pay all of the family’s expenses as they set up their new life safe in Australia, but the government has rejected their visa applications. RussiaUkraineWar
A Ukrainian mother and her two children trying to flee advancing Russian troops have been refused entry to Australia, despite being sponsored by two Queensland doctors who have committed to pay their accommodation and living costs.
Their plight to leave the country has been backed by Gold Coast doctors Ines Baptista and her partner, Timur Navruzov, who crowdfunded thousands of dollars for flights for the family. “They have family in the city that is now under attack and they are hearing all this, ‘Oh a bomb just fell down the street from us’. You know, it’s hard, it’s really, really hard.“The troops are moving towards them. They just have one more city before Odessa, so once that city falls, Odessa is going to be under attack.”
“What has happened in the last three to four weeks is that they’ve decided that Ukrainians, because they’re intending to stay longer, they no longer comply with the visitor visa rules, which state that you need to go back, you’re just visiting, you’re not staying in Australia.” “Her partner worked in a baby products company, and now with all the kids, babies and mothers leaving, they’re actually cutting down his hours,” she said.
Since February 23, the department said it had granted more than 8000, mostly temporary, visas to Ukrainians, and over 3200 of the visa holders had arrived in Australia.