Our work gives hope

Wednesday, December 20 2023

Our work gives hope. And it brings hope. It changes lives.

This includes for people like Maya* who came to Australia from Myanmar in 2020 to study engineering. The military coup of February 2021 meant she was unable to safely return to Myanmar. She was terrified of being deported to face persecution and danger.

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to our End of Year Appeal

Through a friend, she met a man who said he could help her to get a visa – for a fee. Maya didn’t know her rights and options and did not have much money. She thought she had no choice but to seek his help and pay the fee that was requested.

Maya did not receive proper advice. She wasn’t told the kind of visa that was applied for, but believed it was a bridging visa. She later discovered it was a protection visa and that it had been refused by the Department. Maya was devastated.

In desperation, she contacted Refugee Legal for help. We found that all the information in the protection visa application was false. Maya had been unaware of this.

Our expert legal help included full legal representation before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). We were able to present Maya’s true and correct claims to the AAT, which made a positive finding in her case quickly, without holding a hearing.

Maya was granted a permanent protection visa to live in security and safety in Australia. Maya was overjoyed that she now had a life with hope for the future.

Every day, we’ll continue to advocate to defend the rights and lives of people like Maya who seek our help.

If you haven’t already, please consider giving to our End of Year Appeal.

With my sincere thanks,

David Manne
Refugee Legal
Executive Director & Principal Solicitor

* Name and certain details have been changed to protect confidentiality