Greek family faces deportation from Australia after 'mistakenly' filling out form
Nina Christidi and Stefanos Stefanoglou, who have lived in Melbourne with their two children for five years, could be forced to leave Australia due to a simple administrative error.
Christidi said that when she was filling out the online visa application she mistakenly answered "no" to a question asking whether she, or anyone in the family, was planning to study in Australia, believing the question only applied to her.
"It was an honest mistake, I genuinely thought the question referred to whether I intended to study or not," Christidi told News Limited in comments published on Monday.
However, since the couples' children attend school in Melbourne, the Department of Immigration has said that it was provided with misleading information, which is grounds for cancelling a visa.
If the family, who live in Oakleigh in Melboure's south-east, withdraw the incorrect application they face the prospect of their visa being cancelled and would have to spend up to 7500 US dollars on an application re-lodgement.
"I can't afford to spend the money on another application... I just wanted to fix my mistake," Christidi said.
"My children have never been to school in Greece. Melbourne is our home."
The children were 11 months and four years old when the family moved to Melbourne in 2012.
Christidi's son, Erotokriti, has Global Developmental Delay (GDD) and attends a special school.
"Until he's ready for a mainstream school, Erotokriti goes to a special school to help and guide him," she said.
"He wouldn't stand a chance in Athens."
Christidi said the prospect of having to leave Australia "worried her sick."
"Australia is our home, we came here to give our children a better life and more ?opportunities," she said.
"My husband and I work very hard and want to give back to this beautiful country."
