Advocates are urging the government to lift health-related visa restrictions imposed on migrants living with HIV.
Advocates say some migrants are putting off HIV testing for fear it could jeopardise their visa applications.Immigration Minister says Australia's migration health requirements don't meet community expectations.
"I see this almost every week in the personal decisions I make to intervene in the visa system via Ministerial Intervention."Giles said since taking on the immigration portfolio in June last year, he has been in conversation with industry experts and those with lived experience of HIV about removing stigma and increasing testing in migrant communities.
Ellie Osei, not her real name, has asked for anonymity due to concerns about stigma in her cultural community and the workplace. One of the two children in her care, her nephew, who had lost both his parents when he was seven, also received a positive diagnosis from the medical exam. The decision was sent to the Department of Home Affairs to reconsider the application. It took more than a year before Osei learned about the successful permanent residency outcome.
"I apologise the grant notification were [sic] not issued when the decision was made on 2 March 2023," the correspondence said.Visa barriers for people living with HIV Stratigos said she is encouraged by the immigration minister's remarks and hopes it signals forthcoming action to lift the barriers in place."These laws have been roughly the same since the 1990s with minimal changes, and it has caused significant barriers to people living with HIV in entering the country and remaining here. It's caused families to be separated. It's lengthy, it's costly, it's stressful.
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