My name is Sheena Tunnicliff. Eight years ago, my husband Glenn, our beautiful daughters, Tamzin and Molly, and I uprooted our lives in the UK to build a new life for ourselves. But now we risk losing everything because of arbitrary age laws that don’t allow my husband and I to apply for residency because we are 50 and 57 years old.

We both have in-demand jobs, deeply embedded in our community here in Perth. My husband works as a plasterer, and I am a small business owner, employing three more people in my Helloworld travel franchise. Due to discriminatory age laws, we’re being forced to leave all this behind. Please sign and share this petition calling for this rule to be reviewed.

Our family has been trying relentlessly to get permanent residency, which would allow us to live in Australia indefinitely and eventually obtain citizenship. Unfortunately, despite investing over $80,000 in visas and advice from visa agents, we have never managed to secure permanent residency due to constant visa changes and an age limit of 45. And now, we are running out of options and must leave Australia by August 4th.

We are heartbroken. We have built a life here, and our daughters are thriving. Tamzin is now a nurse and can stay here independently, but she faces the prospect of being separated from us and her sister. Molly, who is currently studying Auslan (Australian sign language) at TAFE, remains on a temporary 482, as she doesn't qualify for an international student visa. 

We are pleading for the Australian government to make changes to the rules, allowing more people like us to stay for good, even if we are over 45. It's time to offer families like ours a chance to continue what we have started here and contribute to this amazing country

Please, help us keep our family together and our dream of living in Australia alive.

Thank you for your support.

The Tunnicliffs