Tourist visa denied

Tourist visa denied

With the honorable Australian Minister for Immigration and
Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Mr Ruddock MP currently
visiting Indonesia, I would like to pose a very simple question:
Why?

My wife, an Indonesian citizen, recently applied for a tourist
visa to accompany myself, an Australian citizen, on a short visit
to Australia. The application was denied for health reasons,
"suspected" tuberculosis, so she could not enter Australia until
further tests were done, entailing a further wait of six months.

The policy of the Australian immigration department at present
is that any Indonesian in a relationship with an Australian
citizen must undergo medical tests before a visa can be issued.
This is not a requirement for people who fall into the category
of not being in a relationship with an Australian citizen. So,
for these "other category" people an application can be lodged
without the need for medical tests. This means an "other
category" person could enter Australia with tuberculosis or any
other disease.

It was suggested that this procedure was in place due to the
likelihood that my wife, during her tourist visit to Australia,
might apply for residency. If this were to happen would she not
be required to submit other application forms to that effect?
During that procedure one would assume the same medical tests
would be a requirement.

I understand the concerns of the Australian government when it
comes to health issues, and protecting Australians from certain
health risks is very important. But why is there a stricter
procedure for certain types of applicant and not others? Does
this not constitute discrimination?

Mr. Ruddock, I would appreciate your comments, please!

FERAUD

Legian Kaja, Bali