A 32-year-old Indian man whose spouse visa was cancelled following a ten-month separation from his wife has been forced to leave Australia.
Adelaide man Harpreet Grewal boarded an Emirates flight on Monday night after delaying his departure twice in the hope of a last-minute reprieve from the Immigration Minister.
Mr Grewal’s wife Rupinder Kaur and their 4-year-old son-both Australian citizens are in Adelaide. He lived in Australia for over ten years and worked at a supermarket support his young family.
He has been deported to India after his application for permanent residency was turned down by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Mr Grewal said his deportation would “tear his family apart”.
“My wife and son are Australian citizens if they come with me, how long can they stay there when I have no source of income in India having lived and worked in Australia for the last ten years,” Mr Grewal told SBS Punjabi before his departure.
Mr Grewal came to Australia in 2008 as an international student and met his wife Rupinder- then a permanent resident, in 2011 and they got married in 2012.
The Immigration Department declined Mr Grewal’s application for permanent residency after he separated from his wife for ten months while being on a spouse visa that an applicant is expected to remain on for at least two years.
His subsequent appeals in the Migration Review Tribunal and the Federal Circuit Court were dismissed on the grounds that he did not have sufficient evidence to prove a genuine relationship.
Authorities believe Mr Grewal was in the relationship just for a permanent visa.
The department held that the couple remained together just for 16 months while Mr Grewal claimed he has lived with his wife for five years, except for a period of ten months.
Rupinder who is a stay-at-home mum said her husband’s deportation would be devastating for their son.
“He is so sad to see his dad pack and prepare to leave.”
"Anagadvir really loves her father and I love him so much. If he is forced to leave, everything will be gone for our family,” she said. 
Listen to Harpreet Grewal's interview
Harpreet Grewal makes final appeal to Immigration Minister, to allow him stay in Australia with his family
Mr Grewal’s request to the Immigration Minister to intervene was turned down saying it would not be in the public interest for the minister to intervene.
He was told to leave Australia and apply for a visa again when he is overseas.
But Mr Grewal remained circumspect about his chances of ever reuniting with his family in Australia.
“They are asking me to apply [for a visa] from India. But what will be different, I am the same, my partner is the same,” he said.
“For now, I am leaving alone but my wife and son will also travel to India later after they get their visas. Our lives are at stake here. We have no future in India,” he said.
