Tasmanians are rallying behind a single mother and her family facing deportation to Vietnam after receiving incorrect migration advice from a paid agent.
Dan Thi Tran, the owner of Launceston’s popular Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant, and her three children have called Tasmania home for the past 8 years.
However, they have been given just two months to leave the country after their migration agent failed to properly inform them about their visa application process.
“It’s the uncertainty that just scares me,” daughter Lam Vo told 7 Tasmania.
“We trusted him [the migration agent] so much that we thought, ok, whatever he advises us we do.”
The family say they have built a life in Australia and have no prospects in Vietnam.
“All of a sudden it’s, one decision, one mistake and they want us to go,” Vo said as she fought back tears.
“How can we go?”
The decision to deport the family has sparked outrage in the community, with many expressing support for the family and criticising the immigration system.
A petition in support of the family has over 11,000 signatures.
Federal Bass MP Bridget Archer has met with the family and is making an urgent representation to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
