A much-loved South African family has been told they could be expelled from Australia because their son’s diabetes is a “liability” for taxpayers.
Pump technician Nico Willers, 44, his wife Jane and their children – twins Nico and Esme, 13, and Carla, 8 – moved from Pretoria to Geelong, Victoria, in May 2023.
The family was sponsored by Webster Water Solutions on a temporary 482 skills shortage visa for four years and Mr Willers was praised as “irreplaceable” by his employer.
Last August, young Nico was diagnosed with type one diabetes after he was rushed to Geelong Hospital and spent five days in intensive care.
Immigration agents say the teen’s diagnosis could be seen as a “liability” to the government and affect the family’s chances of obtaining permanent residency.
Pump technician Nico Willers, 44, his wife Jane and their children – twins Nico and Esme, 13, and Carla, 8 – moved from Pretoria to Geelong in May 2023 (the couple appear in the photo).
Willers told Channel Seven’s Sunrise program on Tuesday that the family had been paying all of Nico’s hospital bills out of pocket.
“They say it will cost the government money, but at the moment we do all the payments ourselves, all the monitoring, all the injections,” he said.
The couple has no plans to return to South Africa due to crime rates and worsening economic conditions there.
The Willers have started a new life in Geelong, where their children can ride their bikes and go to the local park without fear.
“Getting work for us in South Africa… is not good at the moment,” he said.
‘It is very important for us to make a living here and stay here. And with my son’s health, he is receiving the best medical care there is right now.
“So it’s better for him to stay here and for us to have a better life.”
Sunrise presenter Nat Barr said it was “ridiculous” that thousands of “rapists” and “foreign-born criminals” were allowed to remain in Australia.
Before Willers got the job as a pump technician, he hadn’t worked for six years despite advertising in both Australia and New Zealand.
Katrina Harris, director of Webster Water Solutions, told Geelong Advertiser The coach had been a “reward from heaven” amid Australia’s dearth of trade.
“He is irreplaceable, he has more than 20 years of experience,” he said.
The Willers family have started a new life in Geelong (pictured) where their children can ride their bikes and go to the local park without fear.
It could cost the family up to $15,000 to obtain permanent residency if they were deemed eligible at $4,640 per adult and $1,160 for minors.
They have already spent up to $24,000 moving to Australia.
A Department of the Interior spokeswoman said that, while it does not comment on individual cases, health exemptions were “available for various subclasses of visas, where visa processing officers may consider applicants’ individual personal circumstances.”
“Just because a person does not meet the health requirements does not mean they will be denied a visa,” he said.
‘If the delegated decision-maker exercises a health exemption, the visa may still be granted. More than 99 percent of visa applicants meet health requirements.’
It comes after 150 detainees, including murderers and sex offenders, were released after a High Court ruling found it was illegal to detain someone indefinitely if there was no real prospect of removing them from Australia.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles (pictured) has come under fire after a series of detainee disasters and the opposition has called for his resignation.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has come under fire after a series of detainee disasters and the opposition has called for his resignation.
Last week it was announced that Direction 99, which prioritized a foreigner’s ties to Australia when making visa decisions, would be repealed in a new measure.
Directive 101, which goes into effect on June 21, will give greater weight to community safety when appeals courts make decisions on visa cancellations.
‘We need to give a clear signal to decision-makers that decisions must be made based on common sense and the protection of the Australian community. “That’s what management is all about,” Mr Giles said.
