Caitlin Risks Deportation After Missing Two Weeks of Work

Exclusive: Scottish expat Caitlin Fraser wanted to spend the rest of her life in Australia.

Now she’s facing deportation over two weeks of missed work that could make her ineligible for permanent residency.

“I’m not sleeping at the moment out of fear, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she told 9news.com.au.

Fraser paid $14,000 to secure her existing visa with the help of an immigration lawyer.

Currently, she is collaborating with them to seek a resolution that would enable her to legally remain employed in Australia for the additional two weeks required to qualify for a TRT visa.

If and when she is able to apply for that visa, she will be granted a bridging visa that will cover her while it is processed.

But Fraser fears she won’t make it that far.

Even if she finds a way to legally work the extra two weeks, she may not be able to afford to apply for permanent residency.

Applying for a TRT visa costs upwards of $4900 and Fraser has been quoted $9000 in additional fees from her immigration lawyer.

She’s still paying off the $14,000 from her TSS visa and had hoped that renewing it would give her more time to save money for the TRT application.

“I live week to week, I’m on the minimum that they can give me, and I live in Sydney which is the most expensive city in the world,” she said.

Applying without the assistance of an immigration lawyer to save money isn’t an option either.

“There’s no way I can complete the application by myself in eight weeks. It’s an extensive process, and even the migration officers will struggle to manage it in such a short timeframe,” Fraser remarked.

Fraser’s family have started an online crowdfunding campaign to help cover the costs.

If she’s unable to secure or pay for a new visa before her TSS visa expires, she’ll be forced to leave Australia on September 14.

With no savings and no family back in Scotland, Fraser doesn’t know where she’ll go if that comes to pass.

She fears she won’t be the only one forced out of the country due to changes to the old TSS visa.