Immigration minister Peter Dutton has exercised his special powers to allow 26 year old Jaspal Singh to accompany his father's dead body to India. Earlier, Jaspal could be denied entry in Australia if he exited the country, due to his visa condition.
Jaspal's father collapsed at the airport when his parents arrived in Australia on Monday. He wanted to acoompany his father's deadbody to India, where his last rites are to be perfomed. However, becuase he is on a bridging visa, Jaspal risked being denied entry into Australia if he exited the country at this stage.
Now, Peter Dutton has exercised his ministerial intervention power to allow Jaspal travel to India.
"The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Hon Peter Dutton MP, has exercised his Ministerial intervention power under section 195A of the Migration Act 1958, to grant him a Bridging B visa," a letter from the Departmetn of Immigration and Border Protection informed Mr. Singh.
This is the second time when the immigration minister has intervened in such cases, earlier mother and brother of a Pakistani student were allowed to travel to Australia to be with him before he died.
