For Conway Dean, the idea of getting permanent residence in Australia seemed like a pipe dream after many years of immigration issues resulted in him and his family being permanently temporary.
How it all started – journey to permanent residence
Conway Dean arrived in regional Western Australia from Wales with his wife, Tracy and daughter, Bethan in 2006. Having lived in Australia as a child, Conway had fond memories. After a family visit with his brother who resides in Western Australia, Conway and his wife considered making the move themselves. While Conway was familiar with life in Australia and the climate, his wife wasn’t, so he sent her to Australia for an extended stay to determine if it would be somewhere she could live.
She fell in love with Australia and when she returned to the UK, the Dean family packed up their life and made the trek to Australia.
A welder by trade, Conway was issued a Temporary Work Visa (Skilled) (subclass 457). In 2008 at the age of 49, Conway applied for permanent residence. Due to administrative delays which took months, Conway’s application didn’t find its way to the front of the processing queue until he was 50 years of age rendering him ineligible for permanent residence based on his age. He was advised that he could continue to apply for a subclass 457 visa which would allow him to stay in Australia temporarily on an ongoing basis.
In 2015, he encountered more issues. When it came time to re-apply for his visa, a mix up with his visa expiration date, saw Conway and his family living in Australia illegally. With his visa refused and him placed on a bridging visa, Conway needed help and it came in the form of the team at Visa Solutions Australia.
Visa Solutions Australia’s Managing Director Dan Engles saw Conway’s plea for help on a Facebook page and contacted him straight away. Dan and the VSA team in particular Sherry and Lisa, helped Conway with his visa issues at the time and assisted Conway with clearing his name at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
Things continue to get better
Grateful to Visa Solutions for sorting out his immigration issues, Conway continued to work hard. He resigned himself to the fact that he may not get permanent residence in Australia until he retired and could potentially apply through a retirement stream.
In 2020, along came Covid. While it threw the world into chaos, it offered Conway a lifeline. After the 2022 federal election, the Labor Government declared that anyone who worked throughout the pandemic on a subclass 457 visa would be able to apply for permanent residence with all restrictions lifted, including age which had prevented Conway from obtaining permanent residence in the first place.
Conway received a phone call from Visa Solutions advising of these new developments. Prompted to apply straightway, Conway set about applying for permanent residence. Conway already had an application in the pipeline for his next 457 visa, so he had to cancel that and unfortunately lose his application fee but as the team at VSA told him, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and a pretty sure thing. An opportunity that many people were taking up given the influx of applications which saw the Department of Home Affairs website crash.
Too good to be true – permanent residency
While driving along a secluded road in the middle of nowhere for work, Conway’s phone started ringing. It was Visa Solutions. Given his location, he was unable to stop and answer so he kept driving only for the phone to ring again. Still unable to stop, the call went unanswered. Given his permanent residence application was going to take anywhere from six months to two years, he assumed the call was in reference to his daughter’s application for a partner visa. The incessant calling from VSA indicated the matter might be urgent.
Once Conway arrived in the next town and was able to pullover, he returned the call.
An excited Lisa answered his call and tried to tell Conway his permanent residence was approved. Conway was in disbelief and didn’t quite register what was happening until he heard the excited congratulatory commotion from the Visa Solutions team in the background. Shock and tears of happiness followed as Conway processed what was going on.
While Conway wanted to shout his wonderful news from the rooftops, there was one person who had to hear the wonderful news first – his wife, Tracy. Tracy was working and wasn’t able to take calls during work hours so he texted her asking for her to call him as soon as she could. Given the urgency of his messages and the expletives used, she was quite concerned when she called him and was further exasperated when he urged her to sit down before sharing the news. Once seated, Conway blurted out, ‘We got PR.’ Initially, she thought he was joking and when he finally convinced her it was not a joke, they both started crying and Tracy left the call wondering how she was going to return to work after receiving this life-changing news.
Needless to say, everyone was happy for Conway and his family – his supportive employer (to whom he is very grateful to), extended family, friends and the team at Visa Solutions.
A life-changing event – Permanent Residence
With his permanent residence approved, Conway’s life will be forever changed. All the stress and worry Conway and his family have lived with over the last few years has lifted. He no longer needs to worry about having to leave Australia should employers stop sponsoring him or having to find funds to apply for visas.
Dan Engles of Visa Solutions says, ‘Conway’s story is amazing and one we’re not likely to forget. There are not many people who can get permanent residency at 60 years old.’
Can’t thank Visa Solutions enough
Conway’s gratitude to Visa Solutions Australia knows no bounds. Conway can’t thank Dan, Sherry, Lisa and the VSA team enough for their help and support from the very first encounter. ‘I don’t know how many times I can say thank you but I’m just so grateful.’ – Conway Dean
If you would like to learn more about permanent residence or any other aspect of migration, contact the Visa Solutions team. Book a consultation.
