Social worker denied Australian work visa due to blindness
March 19 2010 by Liam Clifford
The Australian Immigration Department is facing criticism over its refusal to grant a visa to a highly qualified social worker from India because she is legally blind.
Simran Kaur, 29, arrived in Melbourne in 2007 on a student
visa with her husband, Jasmeet Singh. She had obtained a master's degree in
social work in India and came to Australia to earn a diploma in community
welfare and development.
Ms. Kaur’s vision is described as 6/60, meaning
she is not completely blind. She was born with retinal macular dystrophy and her
condition is considered stable. She is able to live independently despite her
poor vision and has worked as a social worker in India.
In February, Ms.
Kaur’s application for a permanent 886 skilled-sponsored Australian work visa was rejected, after a medical examination by a Commonwealth medical officer
assessed her as not meeting health requirements. The officer said she met the
criteria for legal blindness and she would be eligible for the blind or
disability pension ''in due course'', explaining: ''Such a person with this
condition and severity, staying for the proposed duration of stay (permanent),
would likely require the … blind or disability pension. This would result in
significant cost to the Australian community."
Ms. Kaur’s immigration
lawyer, Stephanie Booker, said her client would contribute to, rather than take
from, Australian society. She has pledged to apply to the minister to intervene
if her client’s appeal against the department's visa refusal should fail: ''We
feel particularly impassioned about this case because it's just blatant
discrimination because of her disability'' she said.
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