THE Grandison family couldn’t be happier to finally call Noosaville home, after a three-year battle to stay in their little piece of paradise.
Stephen and Sarah Grandison first moved to Noosaville from the UK in 2011 with their children Ben, 13, Tom, 12, and Katie, 9.
But despite the fact Stephen works as a local GP, and the family being heavily involved with the local community, the Department of Immigration deemed their son Tom, who has an intellectual impairment and epilepsy, as too expensive to keep.
A three-year battle ensued but the family announced this week they had all received permanent residency visas.
In a letter to Noosa Today to say thankyou for support, the Grandisons said the fight for visas had been a “long and at time difficult process … met with a mixture of initially disbelief, then relief, and now excitement”.
“We have in truth been living in a kind of limbo for the last three years, not knowing whether we would be able to stay here or whether we would be returning at some point to the UK,” the letter read.
“We managed to successfully negotiate the appeal process on the Visa application, having initially been turned down based on Tom’s health assessment.
“Our immigration lawyer was fantastic and the support we received from the local community was brilliant.
“We were amazed and humbled by the tremendous support we received throughout this process, and if anything, this support makes the outcome even better.”
Throughout their fight, the Grandisons launched a petition that received over 3,000 signatures, and 120 personal letters of support from patients and the public, as well as letters from Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Noosa MP Glen Elmes.
The Grandisons are now looking forward to planning the rest of their lives and hoping to become Australian citizens.
