After walking 1,000 kilometres to raise awareness of refugees living in limbo, Ballarat’s Neil Para and his family have finally been granted permanent residency.
Neil fled war-torn Sri Lanka, arriving in Australia in 2012 seeking asylum with his wife Sugaa and two daughters Nivash and Kartie.
They have lived in Ballarat for nine years without a visa, restricting access to work, Medicare and tertiary education.
At the start of last month, Mr. Para set off from the city, walking to the Prime Minister’s electorate office in Sydney to deliver a petition, calling for the end to uncertainty for asylum seekers living in limbo.
More than 10,000 asylum seekers are living in Australia without permanent visas, with the petition receiving over 19,000 signatures.
