The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #75445   Message #1324682
Posted By: McGrath of Harlow
12-Nov-04 - 12:09 PM
Thread Name: BS: Immigration and disability
Subject: BS: Immigration and disability
This is a spin-off thread from another thread, about a particular family with problems staying together because of immigration laws in Australia, where the Australian father is currently living, and the USA where the mother and the child are living live - because they aren't allowed to live in Australia on account of the child's disability; and the father isn't allowed into the USA because he overstayed on a previous visit.

Here's a link to the thread concerned - but since the idea is that thread should be about being helpful to the family, it seems to me a better idea that the discussions about the legal issues, and what the immigration policies are and any stuff like that would be better in another thread.
............................

For a start, here is a link to an Australian Disability Rights site:

"In the area of immigration blatant disability discrimination occurs on an ongoing basis as the Migration Act is exempt from the Disability Discrimination Act (section 52). In reality, this means that while disability discrimination is usually illegal when perpetrated in Australia, it is a condoned, standard practice for Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) officials when dealing with potential migrants and refugees with disability."

It set me wondering what the situation in other countries is. I'm pretty sure that the kind of discrimination which is involved here would be illegal within the European Union, if the father had been a national of one of our countries.