“SBS SAYS” – By Des Kelly

The truth is not only stranger than fiction, but also quite often, much more depressing than fiction could ever hope to be. It will be proven on this SBS television programme, scheduled to start on the 1st of July, 2020.

I will make it a point of watching these true stories on the T.V.Channel that I think is the best in Victoria.  

          In the meanwhile, below is an e’mail forwarded to a past President of the Sri Lanka Cultural Society, Mr.Anu Liyanage, from the SBS, on this particular subject. It makes for some very interesting reading, and as such, I have decided that all eLanka readers should be informed about it. 

   Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) eLanka.

From longtime past President of the Sri Lanka Cultural Society of WA – Anu Liyanage

SBS reveals the emotional stories of Who Gets To Stay in Australia?

Dear Anuruddha Liyanage

Every three minutes someone gains permanent residency in Australia, but every year more than 40,000 are rejected. For the first time, a documentary series captures the life changing moments when men, women and families are told whether they can call Australia home, or whether they will be asked to leave.

As a key member in the Sinhala speaking community we would like to share with you one of our upcoming series. Premiering at 8.30pm on Wednesday 1 July, Who Gets to Stay in Australia?  follows the lives of 13 migrants and their families who want to settle in Australia. They’ve come here for love, family, work or for safety. The road to permanent residency is long, complex and challenging. This series follows people whose applications have previously been rejected and are in their final appeal to stay in the country.

In Who Gets to Stay in Australia? we meet Australian woman Stephanie who is fighting to keep her French husband Fares in Australia after he overstayed his original visa by 10 years. Australian man Harry and his Indonesian wife Viona face being split up and their children forced to leave due to a paperwork error. Peruvian man Luciano might be made to move back to Peru, without his partner Drew or the HIV medication he depends on, and the Irish Hyde Family may all have to leave as their son has cystic fibrosis. Applicants who might cost the health system more than $49,000 over 10 years are rejected.

  The stories in Who Gets to Stay in Australia? touch on many parts of the immigration journey and the challenges experienced by people applying for a visa in Australia. These topics are covered in the SBS Settlement Guide.

The SBS Settlement Guide is a content series which explores and provides essential information about issues and matters to support people while they are settling into life in Australia. The Settlement Guide is translated into more than 36 languages.

The SBS Settlement Guide is available at www.sbs.com.au/settlementguide  and you can find it in your language here

Below are a few stories from the Settlement Guide.

Life on the bridging visa

COVID-19 is dramatically disrupting lives of close to 97,000 bridging visa holders in Australia who are unable to access the federal government’s COVID-19 support schemes.

Women on temporary visas experiencing family violence

Learning to speak and write English is a key skill for migrants to Australia. Many English learning programs are available for free, through hundreds of locations across the country.