Jun 14, 2018

97-year-old’s carer avoids deportation after minister intervenes

Only weeks before she was due to be deported, the American carer of a 97-year-old war veteran has been allowed to remain in Australia.

Henrietta Santiago, who is 76 years old, has cared for Louis Smit for the last four years, but her visa was due to expire in a matter of weeks.

After numerous attempts over the last two years to secure a visa for Ms Santiago failed, their local member became involved in the case, and the ABC began following the story.

Finally, last week the Federal Government had a change of heart, and Ms Santiago will be allowed to remain in Australia to care for Mr Smit.

Carer allows Mr Smit to remain at home

The care that Ms Santiago provides for Mr Smit, which is paid for by his family, allows him to remain in his home – an apartment on the Gold Coast with panoramic views – undoubtedly a lovely place for him to spend his days.

By caring for him at home, Ms Santiago is easing the burden on the health and aged care systems.

Carer visas are only allowed in Australia for close family members, and though Ms Santiago is best friends with Mr Smit’s daughter, she did not qualify.

Should it be easier for foreign carers to get visas to work in Australia?

Holly Byrne, of HB Migration, told HelloCare that she is often asked for visas for nannies and carers, but under the current rules they are generally not allowed. Only diplomats and heads of major foreign corporations are granted visas for carers coming into Australia, she said.

Ms Byrne said the government could consider broadening the definition of family for carer visas.

Skilled staff, such as registered nurses, are able to get visas, Ms Byrne said. And people on foreign students visas often choose to work as carers in aged care.

But Ms Byrne said a number of problems could arise if foreign, unskilled carers were allowed a special category of visa in Australia.

She said there could be the potential for foreign workers to undercut the pay and conditions of local employees.

And, although there is a shortage of workers in the aged care sector in Australia, there is underemployment in the broader economy. Ms Byrne said there are relatively low barriers to entry for carer roles, and we should be able to find local staff to fill these positions.

The system could also be rorted to gain people entry to Australia, she said. Carers may be granted a visa, but then move on to perform different roles.

When workers come to the end of their visa, Ms Byrne said they often don’t want to go home, which could also pose problems.

As for Mr Smit’s situation, “It’s a unique case,” she said. “But why shouldn’t he be cared for by the person he wants?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 key takeaways from the election: What Labor’s win means for aged care

The Morrison government’s defeat in the federal election is being attributed to a multitude of factors, but it would be fair to say that its mishandling of aged care reform was a key ingredient of the loss. So, what happens now? Read More

Royal commission proposes Medicare-style levy to fund aged care services

  The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has released a new paper outlining possible future funding models for Australia’s aged care system. The royal commission has identified “unacceptable and system-wide problems” within the aged care sector, and according to the paper, the industry requires reform that will need “a significant injection of... Read More

Heartbreak as aged care resident found alive 8 days after disappearing dies in hospital

An 83-year-old man who disappeared from an Eyre Peninsula aged care facility in South Australia, has died in hospital, after being found alive eight days after he went missing Read More
Advertisement