A mother-of-four says she may be forced to leave Australia without her children after her marriage broke down, leaving her without a valid visa.
The Herald reports on the case of Ivonne Henriquez, who is appealing to officials from the Department of Immigration not to deport her.
The report says Ms Henriquez was born in Venezuela but married a US citizen. The couple had been living in the US when a job opportunity brought them to Australia in 2008.
Three years ago the couple separated. Ms Henriquez wished to return to the US where her extended family live but her estranged husband wanted to stay in Australia.
“He said sorry I love it here and I want to stay forever. I said, ‘What about me? What about the kids?’,” she said.
She remained in Sydney, opening a karate school on Sydney’s north shore and caring for the children, Sophia, 6, Tomas, 7, Mateo, 9, and Diego, 11.
Ms Henriquez believes her only option is to apply for a bridging visa E which will allow her to stay in Australia temporarily while she makes arrangements to leave. As she no longer has residence status in the US, she will most likely have to return to Venezuela, leaving the children behind.
“I am so worried about being separated from my babies,” she said.
“I think about it every second of the day. I can’t sleep at night. I won’t rest until I have this cleared up.”
