Highlights
- Indian-Australian battles dilemma of caring for surviving parent in India and looking after family and business in Australia
- Lack of communication from Department of Home Affairs added to the challenge of caring for aged parent in India’s COVID crisis: Mr Sachdev
- Bringing parents to Australia under Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa subclass 870 can mean high cost of medical care, if needed
Monty Sachdev left for India to look after his father when his mother passed away from a brain haemorrhage in July 2020.
Prior to her death, he had applied for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa under subclass 870 for his parents and received approval for his father in December 2019. His mother’s application was rejected on medical grounds.
This visa lets parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents visit Australia for up to three or five years. Applications for this category opened from 1 July 2019 and it costs $5,000 for a three-year stay and $10,000 dollars for five years.
When Mr Sachdev’s mother passed away, Australia’s international travel had already been restricted due to the pandemic. He had to try hard to get an exemption to travel to India.
He reached out to the Australian Border Force (ABF) for an exemption to travel for her funeral, for which the ABF website stated up to a two-week turnaround. With help from a local member of parliament, Mr Sachdev got his exemption in four days to board an Air India flight scheduled for New Delhi in July 2020.
After his arrival in India, he requested the Department of Home Affairs to issue his father’s approved visa so that they could travel back to Australia together. But Mr Sachdev says he did not receive any response.
“Leaving my business and family back in Melbourne with an uncertain return date, I kept uploading letters to the Department of Home Affairs , but to no avail. I could not leave my 92-year-old father by himself as he was not in a position to live independently,” explained Mr Sachdev.
“For all those years that he loved and cared for me, how could I not be there for him when he needs me the most and when he is at great risk from COVID-19 in India,” he asked.
Being self-employed, Mr Sachdev was able to continue working remotely, relying heavily on his wife in Melbourne to assist the business.
Monty's father with his attendant and a cousin who temporarily cared for him so Monty could catch a flight to Australia. Source: Supplied/Monty Sachdev
“Regrettably, all communication with the Department of Home Affairs was one-sided. I can understand that they were not processing new visa applications. However, my dad’s visa was already processed and approved, pending the final release of an eVisa,” he elaborated.
According to him, as no information was forthcoming from the Department of Home Affairs, he couldn't get much clarity around his father’s visa status.
After months of caring for him, Mr Sachdev had to explore options to provide him assistance at home. A full-time attendant, part-time cook and a driver completed his father’s support system. Mr Sachdev and his US-based sister then decided to take turns every six months to live with their father in India.
“In April, the Australian government dropped a bombshell in the form of its ill-conceived flight ban with a fine and jail time. My anxiety to get back home and my sister’s reluctance to come to COVID-ravaged India — though understandable — didn’t go without some emotionally-charged conversations,” Mr Sachdev recalled.
By this time, his mind was singularly focused on returning to his family and business in Melbourne, which had seen a setback due to his long absence.
Mr Sachdev considered himself lucky to finally get a seat on a repatriation flight to Australia on 26 May. By this time, his sister had also arrived in India.
In response to a query sent by SBS Hindi, the Department of Home Affairs said that while they do not comment on individual visa cases, they are aware of the impact of pandemic-related travel restrictions on visa applicants and holders.
The department's spokesperson added that they continue to process parent visa applications and are taking disruptions arising from the pandemic into account when considering them.
In recognition of the travel restrictions that apply to Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa holders, processing officers have been advising clients of the impacts of the current travel restrictions on the processing and finalisation of their visas : Department of Home Affairs spokesperson.
On 11 May, as part of the 2021-22 Budget, the government had announced an extension to the visa validity period for Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa holders who are outside Australia and have not been able to travel to spend the full three or five years on their visa in Australia due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Mr Sachdev has now withdrawn his father’s visa application, as bringing him to Australia no longer seemed feasible. His level of dependency now requires full-time assistance and care that could incur a “humongous cost” in Australia.
In Mr Sachdev’s experience, it is important to understand that while the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa under subclass 870 may be a faster process to get parents from overseas to Australia, people can underestimate the financial implications of being a sponsor in the absence of government medical assistance.
“I now video chat with my dad every morning. His attendant is very helpful, my sister and brother-in-law will stay with him for six months and I intend to head back by the end of January for a change of guard,” he told SBS Hindi from his quarantine hotel in Melbourne.
A few days from now, Mr Sachdev says he “can’t wait to hug his wife and two sons”.
He also suggested the Australian government to speed up the process of bringing stranded Australians home and highlighted the need for the Department of immigration to improve their communication methods.
To listen to SBS Hindi's interview with Mr Sachdev please click on the audio link above
