The president of Chinese Community Council of Australia (Victorian Chapter) Dr Stanley Chiang welcomes the recent announcement of the Federal Government to grant five-year tourist visas with a 12-month stay on each entry to suitable applicants who have applied for a parent visa outside Australia. Furthermore the Government will also consider tourist visas of up to three years with a 12-month stay on each entry for people not currently in the parent visa queue.
‘It is a known fact that there are many people, especially those from Mainland China, who applied for permanent residency to be reunited with their family/children in Australia, but often have to be in the waiting queue for a long time. The waiting has been very agonising and at times even traumatising for both the applicants and their family members/children who sponsored them to come. As many are elderly and frail, some were even unable to make it before they were finally allowed to come.’ Dr Chiang, who is also a medical doctor, and has recently been appointed as a member of the newly established Chinese Ministerial Consultative Committee, believe this initiative would help the applicants to spend more quality time with their beloved ones here in Australia, hence fulfilling the need and desire of (usually) children of the applicants to look after their parents, a time-honoured Oriental tradition which is still very much respected. He also urges the Federal Government to take one step further by speeding up the application process, so that the applicants can stay here permanently with their beloved family members sooner.
澳華社區議會維州分會主席蔣天麟醫生對日前聯邦政府宣佈的有關給予那些在澳洲境外遞交父母團聚簽証的合適申請者5年旅遊簽証﹐而且每次都能居留12個月這一措施表示歡迎。據知聯邦政府還將考慮給予那些目前尚未進入排隊等候入境的申請者最長可獲3年的旅遊簽証﹐並且每次都能居留12個月。
‘眾所週知﹐以中國大陸華人為主的很多申請者為了能和他們的家庭/子女團聚而申請澳洲永久居留﹐但往往需要排隊等待很長時間。這種等待不但令人難熬﹐甚至會給有些申請者及擔保他們的子女帶來精神創傷。因為不少申請者都已年老體弱﹐有些甚至於都沒能等到獲得批准。’作為一名醫生且最近又剛被任命為聯邦部長華人咨詢委員會委員﹐蔣醫生相信這一舉措能幫助申請者們在澳洲與親人們共享天倫之樂﹐從而使申請者的親人/子女們滿足他們盡一份孝心的願望。這是東方文化中流傳至今並仍備受尊敬的傳統。蔣醫生還敦促聯邦政府能儘快處理該類申請﹐以便申請者們能儘快與家人們在澳洲長久團聚﹐從而將此事做得更加完善。
