A woman who was staring down the barrel of deportation this week can stay in Australia for another three months.
UK national Belinda Checkley launched a change.org petition earlier this year in an effort to remain in the country, after 11 years living in Byron Bay.
The Department of Home Affairs told Ms Checkley just before Christmas that her visa application had been knocked back, and she’d have to leave the country in three months, with Wednesday the deadline for her deportation.
Ms Checkley, 36, on Tuesday revealed she’s been saved at the eleventh hour – at least temporarily.
Belinda Checkley has now been granted a three-month bridging visa as she continues her fight to stay in Australia.
“Dear supporters, I’ve has [sic] an amazing result after intense pushing in the last two weeks,” she wrote in an update on her petition page.
“I’m so, so grateful that I’m not packing my bags to leave tomorrow: I’ve been granted a bridging visa for another three months.
“While I’m praying for a good outcome and other opportunities to take shape, I’m still quite nervous that I may have to say goodbye to my home, my life in the coming months.
“I’m hoping I can find a way to apply for a permanent visa after this nightmare.”
Ms Checkley, from Chichester in the southern English county of West Sussex, ran into problems with immigration when the cafe she was working at, which was also her visa sponsor, changed hands in 2020.
This caused her visa and sponsorship to be immediately cancelled, in what Ms Checkley said is the fault of “negligent lawyers”.
Ms Checkley has since started a change.org petition, which now has more than 20,000 signatures, as she fights to remain in Australia.
While the three-month bridging visa is good news in the short term, Ms Checkley said she will continue to petition Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to personally review her case.
“Currently, I’ve applied for a new Ministerial Intervention and I need your support to convince the Minister to let me stay,” writes Ms Checkley, who is still pushing for signatures on her petition.
More than 35,000 people have signed their names, with Ms Checkley chasing a target of 50,000 to become one change.org’s top petitions.
Minister Giles has been contacted by NCA NewsWire, however is unable to make comment on individual matters.