An international student who was left a paraplegic after an alleged assault in Hobart last year has been granted permanent residency by outgoing Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. It comes after a campaign from family and friends who were concerned he wouldn't be able to access the care he needed if he had to return home to India.
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TVTranscript
00:00We've made it. It has happened.
00:04Devarshi Decker finally has the visa that will help ease the nightmare he's been caught
00:09in for the past eight months.
00:11It was a feeling of joy, but at what price?
00:17The 33-year-old came to Australia to study last year, but an alleged assault in Hobart
00:23left him with a severe brain injury, blindness in one eye and legs that no longer function.
00:29But the prospect of having to return to India once his student visa expired.
00:33In India you cannot think of this level of care like you get in Australia.
00:40Dev's tragic situation sparked an outpouring of community support, with hundreds following
00:46his Journey to Heal page on social media, a GoFundMe campaign raising almost $100,000
00:53and more than 6,000 people signing a parliamentary petition calling for permanent residency.
01:00Late on Sunday, Dev got the news he and his family had desperately been waiting for, confirmation
01:06that the minister had agreed to intervene and approve his request to stay in Australia
01:11for good.
01:12We are very happy because this letter will help him for the entire future life.
01:21It's basically a second life given to Dev in this country.
01:24I think it's his another birth.
01:26Permanent residency means Dev can now access the National Disability Insurance Scheme and
01:32other services.
01:33I would like to thank all the community members and my friends from the bottom of my heart.
01:44Facing a difficult journey ahead, but assured of Australia's ongoing support.
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