‘I want to stay here’: Grandmother faces deportation after living in Australia for 40 years

In a shocking turn of events, a grandmother who has called Australia home for over four decades is now facing deportation back to the United Kingdom, a country she no longer has any ties with.

This unexpected predicament has left her, her family, and her community in Northern New South Wales in a state of disbelief and distress.



Meet Mary Ellis, a 74-year-old ‘local hero’ who has been an integral part of her community for the past 40 years.

Ellis, originally from London, moved to Australia when she was just 31.

She was under the impression that she and her then-boyfriend had been granted permanent visas, a belief that shaped her life in Australia.


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Mary Ellis has lived in Australia for 40 years and has been volunteering ever since. Credit: A Current Affair / Youtube



Ellis has since built a life in Australia, raising her son and two granddaughters and dedicating her time to volunteering with the Salvation Army and feeding the homeless in Tweed Heads.

Her selfless service to the community even earned her a nomination for the NSW Volunteer of the Year award in 2023.

Despite her contributions to Australian society, Ellis is now facing deportation due to a sudden decision by the Department of Home Affairs.

The department claimed that Ellis was never granted permanent residency, a fact that Ellis disputes, stating that she has always believed herself to be a permanent resident.



'I have a Driver's Licence, ID card, Medicare Card, and Pension card. Everything Australians have,' Ellis said.

'I thought, well, I'm a permanent resident. You know, I carry on doing my daily—what I do every day. Nobody said anything.'

‘This is my home, and I love Australia...I want to stay here,’ Ellis said while in tears.

‘Just let me get Australian citizenship, please let me...that's what I want.’

Ellis' case has sparked a wave of support, with migration agent Stanley Schneider offering his assistance pro bono.

Schneider argued that Ellis should be considered an absorbed person under the Migration Act 1958, given her long-standing presence in Australia and her clean record.

He said Home Affairs ‘suddenly’ decided Ellis had to leave the country.

‘They contacted Mary and asked her to go into the Brisbane office,’ he said.

‘And she went, and they told her that she shouldn't be in Australia.’

‘She's always paid her taxes…she's never even had a speeding ticket. She's never infringed anything. She's never offended anyone,’ Schneider added.

The Act stipulates that a person must have been in Australia since April 2, 1984, and not have left the country.

However, the Department of Home Affairs alleged that Ellis left the country three times under different aliases, a claim that Ellis vehemently denied.

‘I love Australia. I didn't want to go anywhere else,’ Ellis said.



Adding to the confusion, the department claims that Ellis's then-boyfriend, known to her as 'Martin Ellis', was actually 'Trevor Warren', who is now deceased.

Ellis disputed this, saying, ‘I'd say it's wrong. I came with Martin Ellis, my partner at the time, on a permanent visa.’

‘I wasn't really with him for all that long, you know, not very long. And then we went our separate ways.’

Ellis maintained that she has documents to prove her continuous presence in Australia, including a job reference from a Tasmanian restaurant and a Medicare enrolment letter signed by the then federal health minister.

Schneider argued that these documents would not have been issued if Ellis had not been in the country.

'Mary Ellis is a decent person. A person we should be absolutely thrilled to have in Australia,' Schneider said.

'And she's an Australian, Let's face it.'



The Department of Home Affairs, while not commenting on individual cases, stated that 'people who do not have the right to remain in Australia are expected to depart.'

‘Non-citizens are expected to comply with requirements to advise the Department of incorrect information and give correct answers in response to questions that may arise in visa applications, passenger cards, or in responses to notices issued by the Department,’ the spokesperson said.

You can watch A Current Affair’s coverage below:



Credit: A Current Affair / Youtube

Key Takeaways

  • Mary Ellis, a grandmother who has lived in Australia for over 40 years and is highly regarded by her community, is facing deportation to the UK.
  • Despite contributing to society and having no criminal record, Ellis never received permanent residency, a situation she was reportedly unaware of.
  • A migration agent is supporting her pro bono, arguing that she should be allowed to stay under the Migration Act as she's an 'absorbed person.'
  • The Department of Home Affairs has stated she must leave while not commenting directly on her case, indicating people without the right to remain are expected to depart.
What do you think about Mary Ellis’ situation? Have you or someone you know faced similar challenges? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.
 
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A typical stuff up with Government Departments. Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians, as the saying goes. There are so many immigrants who do the wrong thing, but still allowed to stay. Here is a Lady, who has not only worked, but now Volunteers here is being told to leave. But again, that`s how the Australian Government works, and it doesn`t matter what Government is in.
The other thing people should realise is our so called government is not a legal entity, therefore cannot be telling people where to go.
 
Why are you sending this beautiful woman back to UK , when she has lived in Australia for 50 odd years, With no criminal records
We have criminal in Australia who break our rules rape, robb, and have killed people they don't respect our laws and in some cases didn't respect our women. They are refugee they are jailed because they broke our laws , why aren't they sent back to the country they came from????????
Please let this lovely innocent lady who wants to stay in Australia stay here where she is happy and her family are here
Alas that Australian citizens also rape, rob and kill Australians. Pity we can't deport them back to Pomgolia where their ancestors came from.
 
A few yrs ago , my wife and I wanted to go on a cruize to New Zealand so we had to apply for a re-entry visa because we are not Australians but British immigrants. We went to the relevant government department but were told that we are not on the national registry for immigrants in Australia. So we were instructed to go to the National Archives in Victoria and checked all the relevant records and when we found the correct details we had to get them photo copied and signed by the authorized emplyee. We then had to go back to the immigration department to show those documents where the immigration officer then had to document our arrival into Australia on the computer. Somehow there was a clerical mistake .
Very sad ! And the Minister for Immigration, Andrew Giles, released serial criminals like sex offenders, drug traffickers, etc. loose in the communities. He is weak as pi$$ and so is his PM and Government. Anyone who still is a Labor supporter and votes for them, should suffer more than the average person.
They were released by the high court of Australia! So get your facts right.
 
A few yrs ago , my wife and I wanted to go on a cruize to New Zealand so we had to apply for a re-entry visa because we are not Australians but British immigrants. We went to the relevant government department but were told that we are not on the national registry for immigrants in Australia. So we were instructed to go to the National Archives in Victoria and checked all the relevant records and when we found the correct details we had to get them photo copied and signed by the authorized emplyee. We then had to go back to the immigration department to show those documents where the immigration officer then had to document our arrival into Australia on the computer. Somehow there was a clerical mistake .

They were released by the high court of Australia! So get your facts right.
Back in 1976 I met a Pom who had lived in Ozlandia for about 24 of his 26 years and had gone, as yourselves, on holiday to the Land of the Wrong White Crowd. He was upset as he had been told by the Ozlandian Immigration Dept that he couldn't come back home as he was a Pomgolian and the rules had been changed during the time he had been on holiday in Kiwiland. I gather he had to apply for a visa to come back to Ozlandia and was having a problem doing so. I would have simply stayed in New Zealand and become a permanent resident and ultimately a Kiwi Citizen.
 
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40 years of contributing to Australia, and they want her to leave!! It's disgraceful! She came from England, and Australia is a commonwealth country so definitely let her stay!!
 
Let the Lady stay she dosent owe Australia anything she's paid for everything she's not a strain on the country she has her family here .She hasn't any one in England she's elderly LET HER STAY.PLEASE. Send some of these people out of the country who are terrorising the eldly . WAKE UP AUSTRALIA WE ARE GETTING RID OF GOOD PEOPLE AND KEEPING TRASH .THANK YOU.Marion
 

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