Biswajit Banik is a lecturer at Melbourne’s Monash University while his wife Sarmin Sayeed works as a General Practitioner in Melbourne.
The couple together have a 12-year-old son Arkojeet who suffers from a disability.
And it is due to Arkojeet’s disability that Department of Immigration and Border Protection have rejected this family’s application for Australia’s permanent residency last year.
The couple then went to Administrative Appeals Tribunal for Migration and Refugees but the tribunal too rejected their appeal citing their son’s ‘mild autism’ which could possibly be a financial burden on Australian Health Services.
Dr Banik claims that till date all the health expenses have been covered by him and his wife, excluding the special school he attends for autistic children.
"The only (public) service he has accessed is the special school, and that is a condition in our visa that we have to organise schooling for a child.
"Psychological assessments, therapies, swimming lessons, everything is paid by us…His treatment is not in any way burdening the Australian health system," he told Fairfax.
The couple together have served the community for over nine years since their arrival from Bangladesh in 2007.
Now students and colleagues are rallying for this couple and have written on their behalf to the department and politicians.
"I understand he (Dutton) has a lot of responsibilities, but if he considers us as good citizens and could consider our situation in a more compassionate way…to allow us to stay in Australia.
"We will work for the betterment of Australia, we love Australia," Dr Banik said.
Arkojeet’s mother Sayeed is worried her child may not get such specialised services in Bangladesh and moving back could have a detrimental effect on her child.
A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, released the following statement to Fairfax.
"The family have made a request for Ministerial Intervention and their case is under active consideration."
