• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Login
NRI Affairs
Youtube Channel
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
NRI Affairs
No Result
View All Result
Home News

‘I am ashamed as a human that we are asked to abandon parents’

NRI Affairs News Desk by NRI Affairs News Desk
May 19, 2021
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
1
MansiGargStrandedAussie
150
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Advertisements

When Mansi Garg left for India to meet her parents in February last year, she had no clue she would be saying goodbye to her job and her home in Sydney, and only seeing her husband online.

Vivek Asri

Mansi is one of thousands of Australians stranded overseas due to Australian government’s COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Her story resembles many of the stranded Aussies.

“I had just come here for some time off. My sister, who lives in Melbourne, and I had come to India to see our parents. Then COVID got out of control, and there was a lockdown in India which made it hard for us to get flights and get back to Australia,” Mansi Garg told NRI Affairs over the phone from India.

Later, when some flights were available, Mansi’s sister returned to Australia but Mansi decided to stay back with her parents.

“A couple of months later, when India was not in a complete lockdown, Australia had by that time announced the travel ban where they had put restrictions on anyone who was a non-citizen or non-PR (temporary visa holders) to enter into Australia. At that point, I decided not to go back because I wanted to stay here with my parents, knowing that if I did leave India, I would not be able to come back to them. My sister had to go back as she had a young child, and I decided to stay here with my parents and ensure that they were safe.”

Now, Mansi is in India waiting for Australia to lift the travel ban on parents.

According to the travel restrictions put in place during the pandemic, only Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members can enter Australia. However, parents are not considered immediate family members.

Advertisements

According to the Department of Home Affairs, “You are only considered to be an immediate family member if you are a spouse, a de facto partner, a dependent child, a legal guardian.”

Australian-Indian businessman dies from Covid in India

Mansi finds it inappropriate that parents are not considered immediate family members.

“I’ve never heard anybody not consider parents as family. I don’t know what kind of people think parents are not immediate family. They are my responsibility. They have taken care of me all my life. It is my turn to take care of them. I am expected to abandon them, heartlessly come back into Australia and follow rules which are absolutely baseless and inhuman and then live the rest of my life in guilt, knowing that I could not fulfil my responsibilities towards my parents when they needed me because the government said so. I’m sorry, but I refuse to be even anything like this,” says Mansi, who has left her job in Sydney.

Many immigrants have been demanding to add parents to the immediate family members’ list to allow them to arrive in Australia.

A petition (Petition EN2535 – Exemption for parents of Australians and Permanent Residents) to the government of Australia demands to add parents as an exemption category.

This is so sad. In choosing between having everyone and vaccinated and opening up, and that borders remain largely closed until 2022 or "until the pandemic is under control globally" 73 percent choose the latter. We're done for. https://t.co/FMIv2voTyv

— Gabriela D'Souza (@gabster0191) May 17, 2021

“If exemptions cannot be obtained for parents coming to Australia, please consider allowing an exemption for people with family overseas to travel. Reunification with family should be a compelling and compassionate reason,” reads the petition that over 65,000 people have signed.

Mansi Garg says that the Government is being very inconsiderate.

“What kind of a life are we expected to live? Are we animals or what? At what point did we decide that parents are not immediate family. And, who decided that on our behalf? It is sad that the government has made such rule.”

“I am embarrassed and ashamed as humanity that we can actually abandon parents and be okay with that,” says Mansi adding that she has no option but to wait until Australia lifts the ban and allows parents to travel to Australia.

Follow NRI Affairs on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Australians Stuck in India question ‘COVID test results leak’ by officials
Share60Tweet38Send
NRI Affairs News Desk

NRI Affairs News Desk

Related Posts

Patna Declaration: Women’s rights activists call for gender equality
News

Patna Declaration: Women’s rights activists call for gender equality

February 3, 2023
US visa application can now be submitted using Dropbox
News

US visa application can now be submitted using Dropbox

February 3, 2023
Budget seeks to increase TCS rate from 5% to 20% on foreign travel
News

Budget seeks to increase TCS rate from 5% to 20% on foreign travel

February 2, 2023
Next Post
उपाध्याय

मुझे माफ करना रमेश उपाध्याय, मैं आपकी हत्या का मूकदर्शक बना रहा!

badrinath

कहानीः तीर्थयात्रा

Children in India

Australians in India deserve the treatment citizens have been accorded in past crises

Comments 1

  1. Avatar Ramesh Mishra says:
    1 month ago

    NRI AND INDIA
    Authorities do not treat NRI equally and exploit and abuse NRI.
    4 IAS 4 PCS ordered my murderer to steal my property in UP. Murder failed, injuring me for life, and I am lucky to be alive.IAS, and PCS, those I dealt with, are the mass murderers.

    Victoria BC Canada

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Exports from India to Australia fell by 62% in December

Exports from India to Australia fell by 62% in December

2 weeks ago
FTA between India and EU should conclude soon, hopes PM Modi

FTA between India and EU should conclude soon, hopes PM Modi

9 months ago
Menbourne tram e1658383055141

Melbourne hit-and-run accused Sakshi Agrawal tells court Tesla was on auto-pilot

11 months ago
Indian-origin police officer hailed as hero by NYPD is struggling to emotionally overcome deadly attack

Indian-origin police officer hailed as hero by NYPD is struggling to emotionally overcome deadly attack

1 year ago

Categories

  • Literature
  • Multimedia
  • News
  • nriaffairs
  • Other
  • People
  • Top Stories
  • Uncategorized
  • Views
  • Visa

Topics

Air India Australia california Canada caste CECA COVID COVID-19 cricket ECTA Europe free trade FTA Geeta Germany Hindu Human Rights immigration India india-australia Indian Indian-origin Indian Students Khalistan London Melbourne Migration Modi Muslim New Zealand NRI NSW oci quarantine Singapore Sydney travel UAE uk Ukraine US USA Victoria visa women
NRI Affairs

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT