The Isulat family arrived in Australia from the Philippines 4 years ago after Eric’s job with Forstaff Aviation as an aircraft Engineer became secure or so they thought. For the first time they would be together as a family because Eric had always worked outside the Philippines to earn enough money to support the family and to send their children to school.

Eric has lived in Lara and worked in Avalon since March of 2008 it was 2 years that his then employer sponsored him to become a permanent. With the help of his sister who mortgaged her house they borrowed money to be able to bring the rest of the family to join him.

Two years ago Eric along with more than 100 other employees whom were brought to Australia on a temporary visa lost their jobs when Forstaff closed down their operation in Avalon. Mr Isulat was the only one whose permanent status had not been finalised and the application for permanent residence had been refused. While still working Eric was diagnosed with a type 2 diabetes which progressed so fast, that he is now in the final stage of a kidney decease which will require either a kidney transplant or lifelong dialysis and was effectively the reason for the permanent visa being refused.

The family has integrated in the Lara community and have made friends both within and outside their church. Three older children have completed VCE and hope to do higher education once they become permanent residents. They are all working to help in supporting the family while the three younger children are still at school. This is a young family which already has made and will continue to make valuable contribution to Lara Community and Australian community generally. There will be 7 tax payers for many years to come and 6 young people in an aging population that is fast becoming a problem in our society. Even Mr Isulat who will find it difficult now to find work as an Engineer is with the help of his family friends looking at taking over a small grocery store in the Lara shopping strip so that he is gainfully employed.

If the family were to be returned to the Philippines, Mr Isulat who was the only bread winner would not be able to work as an aircraft Engineer or in fact at all. The children would not be able to continue their studies, and without a college education would find it practically impossible to get jobs in the Philippines. The treatment that Eric requires for his survival is in the Philippines prohibitively expensive and the family would never be able to pay for their father’s medical treatment. He would be condemned to die prematurely and the children would grow up without a father. The family would returned to certain abject poverty and with no future.

The Isulat family is asking for support of the community to help them out of this desperate situation by signing a petition to the Minster of Immigration in which they request that they be able to remain in Australia. I believe that the circumstances of the Isulat family are very compelling and deserving of our community's support and compassion.