Cruel reason a hard-working family man could be kicked out of Australia with his wife and three children

A much-loved South African family have been told they could be kicked out of Australia because their son's diabetes is a 'liability' to taxpayers. 

Pump technician Nico Willers, 44, his wife Jane and their children - twins Nico and Esme, 13, and Carla, 8 - moved from Pretoria to Geelong, Victoria, in May 2023. 

The family were sponsored by Webster Water Solutions on a four-year temporary skill shortage 482 visa with Mr Willers praised as 'irreplaceable' by his employer. 

Last August, the younger Nico was diagnosed with type one diabetes after he was rushed to Geelong Hospital and spent five days in intensive care.

Immigration agents say the teenager's diagnosis could be seen as a 'liability' to the government and impact the family's chances of permanent residency. 

Mr Willers told Channel Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday that the family had been paying all of Nico's hospital bills out of pocket. 

'They say it will cost the government money but at the moment we do all the payment ourselves, all the monitoring, all the injections,' he said. 

The couple have no plans to move back to South Africa due to the crime rates and the worsening economic conditions there. 

The Willers have started a new life in Geelong, where their children can ride their bikes and go to their local park without fear. 

'Getting work for us in South Africa… it's not good at the moment,' he said.

'It's really important for us to make a living here and for us to stay here. And with the health of my son, he's getting the best healthcare there is at the moment. 

'So it's better for him to stay here and for us, to make a better life.'

Sunrise host Nat Barr said it was 'ridiculous' that thousands of 'rapists' and 'foreign-born criminals' were being allowed to stay in Australia. 

Before Mr Willers got the job as a pump technician it hadn't been filled for six years despite being advertised in both Australia and New Zealand. 

Katrina Harris, the director of Webster Water Solutions, told the Geelong Advertiser the technician had been a 'godsend' amid tradie shortages in Australia. 

'He is irreplaceable, he has more than 20 years of experience,' she said.

It could cost the family up to $15,000 to secure permanent residency if they were deemed eligible at $4,640 per adult and $1,160 for minors. 

They have already spent up to $24,000 moving to Australia.   

A spokeswoman for the Department of Home Affairs said while it does not comment on individual cases, health waivers were 'available for a number of visa subclasses, where visa processing officers are able to consider the individual personal circumstances of applicants'.

'Just because a person failed to meet the health requirement, does not mean that their visa will be refused,' she said. 

'If a health waiver is exercised by the delegated decision maker, a visa may still be granted. Over 99 per cent of visa applicants meet the health requirement.'

It comes after 150 detainees, including murderers and sex offenders, were released from detention after a High Court ruling found it was unlawful to indefinitely detain someone if there was no real prospect of removing them from Australia. 

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has come under fire following a series of detainee disasters with the Opposition calling for his resignation.  

It was announced last week that Direction 99, which prioritised a foreigner's ties with Australia when making visa decisions, would be revoked with a new measure. 

Direction 101, which will come into effect on June 21, will give greater weight to community safety when appeals tribunals make decisions on visa cancellation. 

'We need to give a clear signal to decision makers that decisions should be made based on common sense and the protection of the Australian community. That's what the direction is about,' Mr Giles said.