A Perth-based aged care worker, Liz Armijo, is facing deportation after dedicating nine years of her life to Australia, prompting concerns about the nation’s treatment of skilled migrants.
Armijo, originally from Chile, arrived in Australia in 2016 on a scholarship to study a Master of Health Science at the University of Western Australia. After completing her degree, she secured employment at Regis Aged Care, where she has worked for five years, including during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her hopes for permanent residency were initially raised when she was invited to apply for one of the 5000 skilled migrant visas offered by the Western Australian government this financial year.
Believing she met all the necessary criteria, Armijo was shocked to receive a rejection letter on 5 February, informing her she had 35 days to leave the country.
The rejection was based on a minor clerical error in her application, where she mistakenly described her master’s degree as “research” rather than “coursework.” This resulted in an overestimation of her total points, which was later corrected by authorities.
Despite still exceeding the minimum points requirement for her nominated occupation as a healthcare recreational officer, her application was refused due to a clause that prevents an applicant’s assessed score from being lower than their invitation score.
Armijo expressed her devastation, stating, “It’s shocking that, despite Australia’s urgent need for aged care workers, the system is failing to retain professionals like me. After nearly a decade of commitment, I’m being forced out as if I’ve done something wrong.”
Throughout her time in Australia, Armijo has invested approximately $80,000 towards permanent residency, including tuition fees, visa applications, and English proficiency tests.
In a final blow, her access to Medicare was cut off just a week before her scheduled departure. While she could apply for an employer-sponsored visa, she has refused to pay another $5000 application fee, citing exhaustion from years of bureaucratic hurdles.
The federal government has previously acknowledged the dire need for aged care workers, introducing an ‘Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement’ in 2023 to fast-track permanent residency for overseas workers in direct care roles. However, Armijo’s role as a lifestyle coordinator and therapy assistant has not afforded her the same pathway.
That is terrible for this girl she has worked hard paid her way no like some Australians that are dole bludgers and the rest this needs to be looked at a small mistake like that is just stupid she has done no criminal offences and she has been here a while supporting her way in life and giving to the community government needs a shake up but they can let murders Rome around come on this is a bloody joke
The poor girl she has worked in age care industry for 9 years. Paid taxes and has helped the elderly. Government should let her stay how could they do that to her
What craziness. Let this girl stay. She is an asset to our society, not a burden. We need more ambitious people like this working in the industry and giving back to our community.
Another example of madness within a broken system.