Highlights
- Indian man gets travel exemption on compassionate grounds, marries Australian girlfriend in Brisbane
- The couple had met in Gurugram in India in February 2019
- Senator Nick McKim calls on the government to open international borders to temporary visa holders and their families
Govind Bhardwaj had met Ruth Ryan in a nondescript building complex in Gurugram near New Delhi where he worked, and Ms Ryan lived during her stay in India.
The 25-year-old said it was love at first sight for him, but at the time, if somebody had told him that he would challenge his family and cross continents to marry her, he would not have believed them.
“One day in February 2019, I went to inspect the building. When I knocked at her door, I saw Ruth with her pleasant smile while she was watching a sloppy Hindi movie, and I remember telling her it’s not a good one. I knew I liked her instantly,” he told SBS Punjabi.
But after getting to know each other and spending months together, Mr Bhardwaj said he never thought that he would not be able to see Ruth for over a year after she returned to her family in Brisbane in October 2019.
“I had plans to join Ruth in Brisbane, but my tourist visa was rejected twice, and then we thought we would meet midway in Bali, but then COVID struck and most countries closed down their borders,” he said.
“Once Australia closed its borders, I applied for an inward exemption at least five times, but they were all rejected. On top, my family had still not accepted Ruth which further increased our worries.”
Ms Ryan said the COVID-induced separation and resistance from Mr Bhardwaj’s family took a toll on their relationship and her mental health.
Govind Bhardwaj and Ruth Ryan in India. Source: Supplied by Ms Ryan
“There were so many times when I decided to leave, and he would stop me, and then he would decide to leave, and I’d do the same. But in the end, we would come back to each other,” the 38-year-old said.
“That’s when we knew its love, and we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together irrespective of the challenges. So, when Govind couldn’t get a visa, I applied for a tourist visa for India, but I still haven’t had a response on my application despite having an outward exemption.”
When Ms Ryan’s health started to deteriorate, Mr Bhardwaj decided to give exemption and his visa another shot.
“This time, we explained how our relationship and Ruth’s health was getting impacted.
“And to our biggest surprise, I received an exemption on compassionate grounds, and days later my tourist visa also got approved,” he said.
Mr Bhardwaj said once he got the visa and the inward exemption, he managed to secure a ticket and travelled to Sydney where he spent two weeks in hotel quarantine.
Once reunited, the couple didn’t waste time and tied the knot in a private ceremony in Brisbane last month. They are now eager to start a family.
Ruth Ryan and Govind Bhardwaj on their wedding day. Source: Supplied by Ms Ryan
“We never wanted a big ceremony without Govind’s family present. We probably would have waited, but at the same time we didn’t want to let go of each other again,” Ms Ryan said.
'Government must open borders to temporary visa holders'
While Govind and Ruth’s story had a happy ending, there are hundreds of other binational couples and families on temporary visas who are wondering when they will be able to reunite with their loved ones.
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'Government must open borders to temporary visa holders'
Greens Senator and immigration spokesperson, Nick McKim once again raised the plight of such families and skilled visa holders in the Parliament on Wednesday, calling the government to open the doors to temporary visa holders.
People on temporary visas have a legal right to be here in Australia- Senator Nick McKim
"They are not tourists or people hoping to come here for a holiday. They live here, their homes are here, their jobs are here, their families are here, they work here and pay taxes here,” he said.
“We have an obligation to these people to do the right thing and let them come home. I implore the government to address these issues.”
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