The threat of deportation continues to loom large for the daughter of a 91-year-old Australian war hero after a citizenship bungle.
Catherine Bird, 62, was born in Papua New Guinea when it was an Australian protectorate, which automatically gave her Australian citizenship.
The daughter of decorated WWII veteran John Bird, Ms Bird has been living in Australia since the age of six. She had an Australian passport since she was 18 and was issued a certificate of Australian Citizenship in 1985.
But she had her passport renewal declined and citizenship revoked two years ago. Ms Bird claims she was forced to go into hiding earlier this month after a bridging visa expired.
Appearing on Sky News on Saturday, Ms Bird said she was only able to emerge from hiding as her bridging visa was extended to 11 January.
"[But] I'm still in limbo," she said, adding that her lawyer has contacted the Department of Home Affairs but was still waiting for a response.
She said the events of recent months had caused her "incredible stress".
Catherine Bird, who was born in Papua New Guinea when it was an Australian protectorate, is in stand off with immigration officials. Source: Aaron Smith
"I can't begin to tell you all the things that are troubling me now, not to mention my 91-year-old father who has been really upset about this and felt let down completely by the government."
John Bird served in both the US Army and on board Australian merchant vessels during WWII in the South Pacific. After the war Mr Bird married Mary Sale, a Papuan woman and they lived in Port Moresby before returning to Australia with their six children.
Ms Bird also told Sky News she was "incredibly fearful that my siblings may now face the same problem".
The ordeal can be traced to when Papua New Guinea became independent in 1975 and the new nation automatically conferred Papuan New Guinean citizenship on Ms Bird, causing her to lose her Australian citizenship.
But Ms Bird was unaware of the change and the Australian government, in what it now calls an "administrative error" continued to issue her Australian citizenship certificates and passports.
Ms Bird's citizenship was suddenly revoked in 2017, for being "incorrectly issued". The government informed her she needed to apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV) as part of the process to get her citizenship.
However, Ms Bird is refusing on the grounds that she has been an Australian citizen her whole life.
Catherine Bird (centre) and her sisters appear on Sky News. Source: Sky News
Speaking to NITV earlier this month, Ms Bird said she was "absolutely gob-smacked" when she found out.
"I've worked here, I've paid taxes here, I've voted here – I'm a good citizen, I've never even had a parking ticket. They said the department made a mistake and issued me a citizenship certificate wrongly," she said.
"So somebody made a mistake which I think they should fix, why should I have to fix it?"
Additional reporting: NITV
