Charlotte’s heartbreaking immigration battle
Imagine being told you had to say goodbye to everyone you've ever known and go back to a country you left as a baby, where you have no friends or family and you don't even speak the language.
This is a very real prospect for 27-year-old Charlotte Camer, who was brought here from the Philippines when she was just one.
Charlotte Camer was brought to Australia from the Philippines when she was just one. A Current Affair
Now she is being told time’s up.
“I wouldn't even know how to live or exist there,” she said.
“I have no identity there, so I know absolutely nothing about the Philippines.
“I’ve built such a beautiful life here, and it’s just really overwhelming.”
Her mum, Jane, brought her to Australia on a tourist visa in 2000, joining other family members.
Jane said it was dangerous for her in her home country.
“I had an abusive partner and also a brother who is very physically abusive as well and mentally abusive as well,” she said.
Charlotte went to primary school and high school where she excelled.
Her visa hasn’t allowed her to do any further study.
“I’ve been working since I was 19, I saved money, so I could study at TAFE,” she said.
“I know that if I had the ability to study right now, I would be studying veterinary nursing because I want to be able to help animals.”
Charlotte’s mum, Jane, brought her to Australia on a tourist visa in 2000, joining other family members. A Current Affair
For years, the mum and daughter have been trying to secure permanent residency.
Charlotte has just been told her application for ministerial intervention has been denied.
Her bridging visa is about to expire, and she has just days to leave the country.
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs told A Current Affair it cannot comment on individual cases.
An online petition has been set up to raise awareness of Charlotte’s case.
Watch the full story in the video player above.
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