After eight-year fight, Pinoy family granted permanent residency in Australia


A popular Filipino physician in Adelaide and his family were finally granted permanent residency in Australia after several rejections due to his autistic son, according to a report on The Southern Times Messenger.
Dr. Edwin Lapidario, his wife, Cherryl, and their sons Sean and Savion received the news earlier this August, more than a year after their temporary visa expired in April 2016.
A bridging visa was granted to the Lapidario family pending the decision of Australia's Immigration Department, the report said.
The year-long wait was tense for the family as the department had rejected Sean's applications for temporary 457 visa two times already — in 2009 and 2012 — due to his autism.
Dr. Lapidario said on Southern Times Messenger that Sean's application was rejected as he did not meet the health requirements for an Australian visa. Aside from this, Sean's medical condition was considered a possible burden to Australian taxpayers.
Following intervention by Hackham Medical's board of directors, who agreed to pay $52,000 in medical costs for Sean, the Lapidario family was allowed to stay in Australia, according to a report on The Advertiser. Dr. Lapidario is a general practitioner at the Hackham Medical Centre.
The Lapidario family's victory was celebrated by the community, his patients, and employer, but the family faces one last hurdle as the Health Department informed the Filipino doctor that he could no longer practice with Hackham Medical Centre.
The Southern Times Messenger report said the department advised Lapidario to practice in a rural area for the meantime.
Lapidario is in the process of applying for a special placement program that will put him back in Hackham, the report said. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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