Perth family face deportation to India after son’s Down syndrome deemed ‘taxpayer burden’

The family of four, from Carlisle, immigrated to Australia on student visas seven years ago.

Aneesh Kollikkara, who works in telecommunications and wife Krishna who is a cyber security expert, say they’ve been denied permanent residency in Australia due to potential costs their 10-year-old son Aaryan’s disability.

They’ve been told that due to financial impact the diagnosis could have on the state’s health system, they might be forced to leave in as little as two weeks.

Their children, Aaryasree, eight, and Aaryan, have known no other home.

“When I received this, I was really heartbroken,” Krishna said.

“I don’t know how to tell that to the kids, and how that will affect them.”

Aaryan’s parents insist he doesn’t rely on any disability support services, but according to the immigration department, the 10-year-old’s cost to the Australian community is “too significant”.

They’ve calculated a total taxpayer cost of $664,000 in expenses over a decade.

The family are now pinning their hopes on an intervention by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

But a spokesperson for Giles told 9News he’s “unable to comment on individual cases due to privacy”.

“They haven’t even considered what we are contributing to society, we are taxpayers,” Krishna said. 

“We want him to give us a chance to call Australia home.” 

As the family anxiously await his response, support for their bid to stay is growing.

An online petition demanding they be allowed to stay in Perth has already attracted thousands of signatures.