Tamil asylum seekers, Vashini Jayakumar and Priya Nadesalingam, are more like sisters than best friends.
And now that Nadesalingam is finally safe, she is hoping the community that supported her will step up to protect Jayakumar from the same fate.
In Biloela, word travels fast. So when Jayakumar called around, she quickly learned what happened.
A neighbour had heard the early morning raid where Priya and her husband Nades, along with their daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa, were taken from their home by Australian Border Force officials. After calling the federal police, Jayakumar learned the family had been placed in immigration detention.
As Jayakumar translated for Nadesalingam and provided emotional support, she was quietly fighting her own visa battle.
The family pays $500 a month for nappies for Janani as she is unable to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Without NDIS funding, they cannot afford modifications to make their Brisbane home accessible and have to shower Janani outside.
The uncertainty has hit the family particularly hard this Christmas.
Jayakumar, her husband Riswan, and her three young children are all at different stages of their visa and citizenship processes.
Guardian Australia understands the federal government will allow 19,000 refugees to stay permanently in Australia from early next year.
The decision will affect people who hold temporary protection visas and safe haven enterprise visas who came to Australia by boat before 2014.
For the Nadesalingams, who now have permanent visas, life is good. The girls are in school, Nades is back at the meatworks and Priya has a flourishing garden, brimming with eggplants, cherry tomatoes and peas. There is also a book deal on the way.
Jayakumar hopes 2023 will be the year her family secures a permanent place in Australia, allowing her to shed the the refugee label and instead be known as an early childhood educator, mother and friend.
The immigration minister has been contacted for comment.
