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 has been told they could be deported from 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 skills shortage visa, with Mr Willers praised as ‘irreplaceable’ by his employer.

Last August, youngster Nico was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after being rushed to Geelong Hospital and spending five days in intensive care.

Immigration agents say the teen’s diagnosis could be seen as a “liability” to the government and could impact the family’s chances of permanent residency.

Pump technician Nico Willers, 44, his wife Jane and their children – twins Nico and Esme, 13, and Carla, 8 – moved from Pretoria to Geelong in May 2023 (the couple are pictured)

Mr Willers told Channel Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday that the family had paid all of Nico’s hospital bills out of their own pocket.

“They say it will cost the government money, but at the moment we are doing all the payments ourselves, all the supervision, all the injections,” he said.

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

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

“Getting work for us in South Africa… that’s not good at the moment,” he said.

‘It is very important that we can live here and that we can stay here. And thanks to my son’s health, he gets the best health care available today.

“So it’s better for him to stay here and for us, to build a better life.”

Sunrise presenter Nat Barr said it was “ridiculous” that thousands of “rapists” and “foreign-born criminals” were allowed to remain in Australia.

Before Mr Willers was given the pump technician job, it had not been filled for six years, despite being advertised in both Australia and New Zealand.

Katrina Harris, the president of Webster Water Solutions, told the Geelong Advertiser the technician was a ‘gift from heaven’ amid Australia’s shortages of traditional products.

“He is irreplaceable, he has over 20 years of experience,” she said.

The Willers family have started a new life in Geelong (pictured), where their children can cycle and go to their local park without fear

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

They have already spent $24,000 on their move to Australia.

A Home Office spokeswoman said that while it does not comment on individual cases, health exemptions were “available on a number of visa subclasses, where visa processing officers can take into account the individual personal circumstances of applicants”.

“Just because someone does not meet the health requirement does not mean their visa will be refused,” she said.

‘If the delegated decision maker uses a health declaration, a visa can still be granted. More than 99 percent 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 detain someone indefinitely if there was no real prospect of removing them from Australia.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles (pictured) has come under fire following a series of detainee disasters, with the opposition calling for his resignation

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

Last week it was announced that Direction 99, which prioritized foreigners’ ties to Australia when making visa decisions, would be withdrawn in a new measure.

Direction 101, which comes into effect on June 21, will give greater weight to community safety when appellate tribunals make visa revocation decisions.

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