A Big Meeting

As many of you know I encountered some trouble obtaining a permanent residency visa before coming to Australia. My application for that visa actually ended up being rejected by the immigration department. A few years ago an Australian business brought in workers who where severely underpaid. These workers ended up depending upon government financial help because they did not have the resources to live on their own.

As a result of this the immigration department passed a law that asked for more than $40,000 of guaranteed annual income. They also asked for the first three years income up front. Of course I could not produce the $120,000.00 for a permanent visa. So at this time I am working with a religious workers visa that will be renewed every two years. The big difference between a two year visa and permanent residency is that I am not part of the Australian national health care program. And since I have health insurance in the U.S. The P.R. Visa situation did not really bother me.

Every March the missionaries in Australia have a annual business meeting. Last March the permanent residency issue was brought up. There is a way to possibly gain one without paying the first three years income up front. It involves asking a solicitor (lawyer) to write a letter requesting a permanent residency visa for the individual. I am honestly not sure how the letter is written or how the entire situation works. There is no guarantee that it will gain a visa at all, but it has worked for at least one pastor in our area.

A motion was made at the business meeting to contact a solicitor and have a letter written requesting a P.R. Visa for me. Everybody at the table was excited about the idea and voted to have it done except for one. I wasn't crazy about the idea at all, and may have voted against it if I was allowed to (first year missionaries don't vote). I didn't feel that my not having a permanent visa was such a problem. After all the only difference between me and the other missionaries was that they had health care in Australia. I must admit that I was also a little bit embarrassed that they were making such a big deal about me.

Today my idea about the situation has totally changed. That's why this Thursday I am going with two other missionaries to meet with a solicitor. What changed my mind? I now realize that the permanent residency situation is not just about me. The new immigration laws will affect every other missionary that comes to Australia. There are financial implications of these laws as well, such as paying taxes and retirement. While I as a bachelor can live comfortably with these financial restrictions, families with children may not.

Please pray as I prepare for this meeting. I will be leaving for it at 2:30 on Thursday (10:30 Wednesday night). Right now we plan to begin the process of having my letter written at this meeting. Pray that if it is God's Will the letter would obtain my permanent visa. This would allow me to become a precedent for missionaries coming in the future. And if you think about it pray that I will let people make a big deal about my problems if they want to.