Speaking with SBS Punjabi, Parminder Singh shared that his work rights application was approved on 23 November, with the family granted a Bridging E (class WE) Bridging E (General) (subclass 050) visa.
After spending nine months without work rights awaiting the result of their ministerial intervention request, Mr Singh and his wife now have full-time paid work rights under the visa granted last month.
After reapplying for the three-month bridging visa in June, Mr Singh made a work rights application on 10 November.
“I attached documents to represent my financial hardship, media links, application links and the petition with 17,436 signatures from the community,” Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh has resumed working, and his wife, Chanchal Saini, is job-seeking.
Since the family was first granted a bridging visa with no working rights, the Singh family waited nine months before they could work again.
“It was really tough, we can now finally do paid work,” Mr Singh said.
The Singh family's story
After living in Australia for 15 years, Mr Singh, his wife and their eight-year-old son are facing deportation after their current visa expired.
Earlier this year, speaking to SBS Punjabi, Mr Singh said, "I have studied, worked and built a life (on the) Gold Coast and, if deported, we won't have a pathway to return to Australia, the country we call home."
Mr Singh and his family were stripped of their work rights and asked to leave the country by 31 May, 2023.
The Gold Coast family applied for a ministerial intervention and were granted a bridging visa under no work and no study conditions.
Mr Singh said his family remain "hopeful" about their future in Australia as they await the result of their ministerial intervention request.
