A 93-year-old great-grandmother who was given 28 days to leave the country – her home of 11 years – will not be immediately deported, after the family received a surprise phone call from the home affairs office.
The Australian government will not be deporting a great-grandmother who has lived in Australia for more than a decade and was given just 28 days to leave the country.
Mollie Manley, from Somerset in England, has lived in Perth for 11 years alongside her three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren – who are all Australian citizens. The 93-year-old was facing a return to her home country, after failing Australia’s permanent visa requirements on health grounds. Her family feared the bed-ridden great-grandmother would not survive the plane journey alone, nor would she have had any family there to look after her. But Ms Manley’s son-in-law has received a phone call from the Department of Home Affairs saying she would not be deported back to the UK. He said he was relieved but her future still remained uncertain.
Ms Manley’s family can now apply for a medical treatment visa – granting Ms Manley another twelve months in Australia – or appeal the decision.
