A Filipino woman is using social media to fight against being deported from Australia, saying she should be allowed to stay with her eight-year-old son.
Bernadette Romulo went to Australia in 2006 on a working visa with her husband and two daughters. However, her marriage later failed. She met another local man and they got married, 9news.com.au reported without stating the exact year.
Romulo and her second husband had a son but that marriage also broke down in 2012. She then applied for permanent residency and was able to stay in the country via a bridging visa. However, her application for permanent residency was rejected last December.
Romulo’s visa expired on Tuesday and she feared that she and her two daughters would be deported after 11 years living in Australia. She begged Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to save her from being deported – and separated from her son, who is only eight years old.
“I don’t know what to do. But I’m not going to just give up. Because it’s cruel, very cruel. He’s only eight,” Romulo said.
She used a social media campaign, change.org, in a desperate bid to remain in the country. The campaign has reportedly drawn support from more than 22,000 people.
Romulo was given a chance with an extension on her visa until May 26, but her prospect of staying in Australia for longer than that is still unclear.