Kenneth Glad
One man’s attempt to remain in the country has reshaped his housing, finances and routine. The wait has turned an immigration process into a daily burden.
A British migrant in Melbourne says he has been sleeping in a sewing studio while trying to afford the cost of remaining in Australia.
According to Yahoo News Australia, Jonny Gbla, a 29-year-old podiatrist from the UK, applied for a skilled visa late last year. His current visa expires in November, and he says he has not received an answer from the Australian authorities.
The delay affects more than paperwork. Gbla says it has influenced where he sleeps, how he spends, and whether he can keep the life he has made over five years in the country:
“I’m in limbo.”
Gbla first arrived after university on a working holiday visa. He later moved from Queensland to Melbourne, where he found full-time work, entered a relationship and began creating fashion and food content online.
Life reduced to essentials
To cover visa expenses alongside rent and daily bills, Gbla said he sublet his room in Windsor and began dividing his nights between his girlfriend’s home and a sewing studio he rents in Brunswick.
He said he sleeps there on an air mattress, stores much of his clothing in his car and does laundry at work. He described the setup as cold and uncomfortable.
He told Yahoo News Australiathat the process has cost him at least $12,000 across several years, including visa applications, medical checks, police checks and English testing. He said using an agent could have pushed the cost much higher.
“These visas, they’re so f***ing expensive,” he said.
The cost has also affected his personal life. Gbla said he has not seen nieces and nephews in five years, partly because money that could have gone toward travel has instead gone into immigration fees.
Australia’s skilled migration system can require applicants to pay for multiple checks, tests and applications before receiving a decision. For temporary visa holders, that uncertainty can make ordinary decisions about housing, work and family difficult to plan.
Despite the strain, Gbla said he does not want to leave the country where he has spent much of his adult life.
“This is my home.”
Sources: Yahoo News Australia
