Pakistani family face being kicked out of Australia because their disabled five-year-old son is a ‘burden on the taxpayer’
- Family are asking to stay in Australia after son’s medical costs deemed too high
- Shaffan Muhammad born with disorder making him paralysed from neck down
- Doctors have said the risk of putting Shaffan, five, on a plane is ‘life threatening’
- A petition to keep family in Australia has already surpassed 13,000 signatures
A Pakistani family is pleading to stay in Australia after their son was considered a ‘burden on the taxpayer’ because of his disability.
Shaffan Muhammad, five, was born with the rare genetic disorder Chondrodysplasia punctata which has caused him to be paralysed from the neck down.
The young boy from Perth can only eat and breathe through a tube and requires constant care, but the government has now told his family they need to leave.
A Pakistani family is pleading to stay in Australia after their son (pictured) was considered a ‘burden on the taxpayer’ because of his disability
The Department of Home Affairs has ruled the costs associated with Shaffan’s medical condition are too high – informing his father of their decision in August.
As a result his parents, who have been in Australia for 10 years, have seen their permanent residency application was rejected.
Doctors have said the risk of putting Shaffan, from Murdoch in the city’s south. on a plane is ‘life threatening’.
His father Qasim Butt also believes his son may not survive if he is taken away from the high quality health care he has had in Australia.
‘We do not have the medical expertise in my country of origin to care for such a complex patient,’ Mr Butt said in an online petition asking for the Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton to intervene on compassionate grounds.
The petition already has more than 13,600 signatures.
Since having their son, Mr Butt and his wife became parents to a daughter in 2017.
Shaffan Muhammad, five, was born with the rare genetic disorder Chondrodysplasia punctata which has caused him to be paralysed from the neck down
The family have been given a glimmer of hope after the Department of Home Affairs confirmed on Thursday Immigration Minister David Coleman would be looking into the case.
In the meantime, Shaffan and his family will be allowed to stay in Australia.
‘This is the last chance for us and the last hope for Shaffan as well,’ his father told 9 News.
The family have been given a glimmer of hope after the Department of Home Affairs confirmed on Thursday Immigration Minister David Coleman would be looking into the case. ‘This is the last chance for us and the last hope for Shaffan as well,’ his father Qasim Butt said (pictured)