The last time Rajshree Patel and her son Nevaan were together in Australia was July 2019.
That was just before the toddler was taken to India with his grandparents while she finished her Bachelor of Nursing.
More than 18 months later, they remain separated by closed borders.
"I feel like my body part is removing, someone removed my body part, I need my parents too."
Rajshree came to Australia eight years ago, became a citizen in 2018 and, for the last six months, has been working as a nurse at a COVID-19 testing clinic in Sydney.
The single mum - who also has a chronic illness - has applied three times for a travel exemption for her parents to bring her son home, but was refused.
Under the country's COVID-19 travel ban, only the immediate family of an Australian citizen or permanent resident is allowed to enter the country.
Australian migration regulations define "immediate family" as a spouse or de-facto partner, dependent child and legal guardian.
Parents don't qualify.
On Rajshree's most recent application, only her mother was approved for travel but she doesn't want to separate her parents.
The 31-year-old has also considered flying to India but can't take the risk of joining the many other Australians stranded overseas.
"For me, If I go back, who's going to pay rent here? If I'm stuck there for 6 months, 4 months, I have to sell everything, I'll lose my job."
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People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
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The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
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