They shared a plan to come to Australia, work, and stay. They have contributed to the community, paid taxes, and shared their skills and experiences. They believed they had done everything they could to meet Australia's immigration rules.
But as local job opportunities remain scarce the government has moved to tighten temporary and permanent immigration.
The changes will force these five aspiring Australian residents to look elsewhere to live.
Camilla Guglielmi con il figlio Vieri Source: SBS
Camilla Guglielmi
The Italian 35-year-old mother first fell in love with Australia 13 years ago.
"I went to Sydney for the first time as a tourist and I felt in love for this beautiful country immediately,” she told SBS News.
She returned to Italy, finished her university studies, and planned to return to Australia. But two months before she departed, she met her partner who became the father to her son and she decided to stay in Europe.
"I have been always thinking and talking about Australia for 11 years, so my partner in 2015 sold our business and said to me, 'let's go, I don't want you have regrets in your life’,” she said.
Initially they had planned to stay in Australia on his student visa for one year, but by September last year they were settling in. She had found a job as a sales and marketing manager for a Sydney catering company and their son Vieri had started school.
She applied for a 457 visa in December, however the changes announced last week meant small businesses such as hers are precluded from hiring sales and marketing managers on temporary work visas.
The Department of Immigration has offered a possible refund for her visa application fee, but no additional assistance or flexibility has been offered.
"We wouldn’t have stayed in Australia if we knew there was no chance of getting permanent residence after the student visa," Ms Guglielmi said.
She suggests the government should apply the new rules to people applying after the changes were announced, and not apply them to applications which had already been lodged.
"Right now it is retroactive on many cases, and this is not fair - it's changing rules during a game. I can even play well, deserve to win, but it seems it doesn't matter," she said.
"We are not just milk cows."
Nicola Quarta, a destra, insieme ad amici Source: courtesy of Nicola Quarta
Nicola Luigi Quarta
Currently on a bridging visa after applying for a 457 as a corporate services manager in October, Nicola Luigi Quarta is a 27-year-old from Italy.
He has been in Australia since 2015, and moved to regional South Australia to work for a large potato grower.
"After almost two years I have started a new life here in Australia, friends, girlfriend, workmates,” he said.
"I also started playing footy in the Riverland in South Australia where I now work,” he said.
Mr Quarta expects his application to be rejected and his pathway to permanent residency to be blocked.
"The morning of the 18th of April after the big news, I was feeling unwanted,” he said.
"What a horrible sensation for someone that loves his job and this amazing country.”
