After more than a decade of building a life, putting down roots, and embracing every part of Australian community on the Gold Coast, a South African expat couple is confronting a devastating deportation order, all triggered by an administrative error that left one partner technically unlawfully in the country for just nine days.
Rory and Michelle Hewitt, both 52, first made the life-altering decision to uproot their entire lives in their home country back in 2012, not 2015 as their initial relocation paperwork initially cited, bringing their two young sons Matthew and Caleb with them in pursuit of the iconic Australian dream. Over the 12 years that followed, the couple built stable, respected careers, watched their sons grow into adults, welcomed their first granddaughter 18 months ago, and fully integrated into the local way of life they now call home. What they never could have anticipated is that a long-undiscovered paperwork mix-up from three years ago would unravel all they have worked for.
The administrative blunder only came to light during a recent visa renewal process this year. Despite the couple’s solicitor submitting all required documentation within the mandated legal timelines, processing delays left Michelle Hewitt without valid visa status for nine days in 2023 — a fact the couple remained completely unaware of until months later. This tiny technical error has derailed their entire application for permanent residency, and the couple has now been ordered to leave Australia by October 22. Cruelly, their two adult sons, who have already established their own lives in the country, are permitted to stay, meaning deportation would force the couple to leave behind their children and infant granddaughter indefinitely.
“This has been devastating. We knew we would have to leave our extended family behind when we moved here, and we accepted that heavy sacrifice because we believed it would all be worth it in the end,” Rory Hewitt told reporters in an interview. “We never could have imagined this would be the outcome. The personal toll this has taken on our family is indescribable.”
The Hewitts’ immigration journey has been fraught with unforeseen complications from the start. They first arrived in Australia on a sponsored work visa, but issues with Rory Hewitt’s initial employer led to the visa expiring unexpectedly. They subsequently applied for protection visas and were granted bridging visas that allowed them to work and study legally while their application was processed. Everything proceeded without issue until the 2023 processing gap derailed their latest bid for permanent status, even after they requested ministerial intervention to waive the technical error.
“ We have exhausted every other available option, and we just beg that someone will review our case with compassion,” Michelle Hewitt, who worked as an office manager until the deportation order barred her from working, said. “Australia is our home now. This is where our family is.”
As the couple fights to overturn the order, their community has rallied around them. A family friend launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the couple’s mounting legal fees, as both are now barred from working while their appeal is pending. A public petition calling for government intervention has already garnered more than 1,200 signatures from supportive locals.
Rory Hewitt said he has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Australian public. “We love this country and its people, and we never doubted that Australians would stand with us if they heard our story,” he said. “The support we’ve received has been incredible, and it means more than we can say.”
If a last-minute solution does not come through, the couple says they plan to make the most of their remaining time in the country they love, with a short trip into the Australian bush to soak in the landscape they have called home for 12 years.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs was contacted for comment on the Hewitts’ case. In a statement provided to media, a department spokesperson said it could not comment on individual immigration cases due to privacy requirements. “All applicants lodging a visa decision review are encouraged to do so at the earliest opportunity to maintain lawful status,” the statement read. “The department is unable to grant a Judicial Review Bridging Visa A until it receives confirmation from the Federal Court that a judicial review application has been made.”