Pinay nurse faces deportation in Australia due to autistic son

A Filipina nurse who is facing deportation in Australia with her nine-year-old son has taken to the Internet to seek intervention in their case.

Maria Cecilia Sevilla and her son Tyrone will soon be deported to the Philippines after Australia's Immigration Department deemed the boy as a “financial burden on taxpayers.”

Tyrone was diagnosed with autism, which slows down his neurological development, six months after they migrated to Australia in 2007.

A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison told News.com.au that Sevilla's application for a 489 or skilled worker visa was denied because Tyrone “did not meet the health requirement.”

Despite her son's condition, Sevilla completed her studies at TAFE, a vocational university, and was able to secure employment as a clinical nurse at Townsville Hospital.

Following the rejection of her skilled worker visa, Sevilla sought ministerial intervention, creating an online petition on Change.org asking the minister to let them stay as a family in Australia.

"I've worked for years, raising my son and studying to be a nurse. Yet all of it could be taken away because the government thinks that children with autism are going to be more of a cost to Australian society than a benefit — but that’s just not true!" she said.

In her petition, Sevilla said her son's "personal security, human and child rights, and dignity" were at stake if they were forced to return to the Philippines. She said Tyrone had no relatives in the country who could provide long-term care for him.

Most of Sevilla's relatives reside in Queensland, and their proximity allows her to complete her shifts at Townsville Hospital.

Sevilla told News.com.au that her son was not a burden to Australians, adding that her working status meant she was also a taxpayer.

When asked if she could bear living in the Philippines again, Sevilla said her seven years of working in Australia would be wasted if they were sent back. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News