A British family faces being booted from their home of eight years after Australian immigration policy deemed them “too old” to remain.
Parents Glenn, 57, and Sheena Tunnicliff, 50, moved from the UK to Perth in 2015 to begin a latest life with their two young daughters, Tazmin and Molly.
The family settled in Warwick, a suburb in town’s north. Glenn got a job as a plasterer while Sheena opened a Helloworld travel franchise, where she employed three people.
Their daughters are actually starting their very own careers with Tazmin, 21, working as a nurse and Molly, 18, studying Australian Sign Language.
But after living and dealing in Australia for nearly a decade, the family faces being forced to maneuver back to the UK.
Glenn and Sheena were ordered to go away by August 4 after they were unable to secure everlasting residency because of various visa and job changes through the years.
Everlasting residency has an age limit of 45, meaning now, neither parent qualifies.
“We don’t need to return to the UK. We’ve made a life here,” Sheena previously told Channel 9.
“Now we’re over that magic figure of 45 there is no such thing as a path to PR for us. Australia classes us as too old [but] we’re those with the experience and training.”
Sheena added the family had spent $80,000 on visas since moving.
This week, the family was offered a last-minute “temporary Band-Aid” that may extend their visas until July 2024, but they are saying they are going to relocate to Latest Zealand reasonably than stay in Australia in limbo.
In Latest Zealand, where the age cut-off is 55, Sheena is eligible for everlasting residency. Bizarrely, after five years across the Tasman, the Tunnicliffs could turn out to be Latest Zealand residents which might allow them to return to Australia to live.
“We’d take all our skills and we’d go to Latest Zealand,” Sheena told Channel 9.
“It’s crazy. Australia’s lost all our skills. In five years time we could walk back into Australia.”
Their eldest daughter Tazmin has applied for her own visa to remain in Australia, which has been her home since she was a young teen. Her sister Molly, nevertheless, is in the identical situation as their parents.
The sisters can be separated because Tazmin’s profession as a nurse means she qualifies for a student visa, while Molly’s pursuit of Australian Sign Language means she doesn’t.
To make matters worse, the family doubts their dog, Roxy, will have the opportunity to make the journey — either home or to Latest Zealand. Roxy was still young when she moved Down Under all those years ago but now, aged 14, she likely wouldn’t survive the flight.
