The widow of an n Special Forces veteran killed in a motorcycle accident a year ago has been given a ray of hope after she was threatened with deportation.
American Kristie Chilcott has been told her visa application to stay in has been given top priority.
Ms Chilcott faced deportation when her visitor visa expired on July 1.
She had applied for a parent visa when she was told it could take 29 years to process despite her late husband Drew Chilcott’s two decades of military service.
Mr Chilcott undertook 13 high risk overseas missions, including a deployment in the Middle East before he died in a motorcycle accident in October 22.
Ms Chilcott said she was ‘speechless’ after learning she may have a chance to stay in to raise their five-year-old son Jack.
Kristie Chilcott (pictured with husband Drew Chilcott) has been given a ray of hope in her fight to stay in
‘I am beyond grateful for this chance to stay and live in permanently with my son,’ she said in a statement.
‘I just wish it didn’t have to come to going to the media for there to be justice in the immigration system.’
Ms Chilcott had previously made a heartfelt plea to stay in Perth and honour her dead husband’s wish that their son be brought up in .
‘It’s our last chance to carry on the parenting I had hoped to do with Drew,’ Ms Chilcott told Sky News.
‘I’m not asking for a handout.
‘I have a son that’s an n citizen, [I’m] fully committed to giving back to the country and there are people migrating here that are doing quite the opposite, in my opinion, and I don’t see where the justice is or how that is remotely fair.’
Ms Chilcott said she was reluctant to uproot her son again for the third time in three years, especially when Jack was about to start school.
‘The uncertainty of not knowing where we’re going to get to stay and live, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with besides Drew passing,’ she said.
‘The stress of it has been unbearable.’
Mr Chilcott was just 17 when he made the brave decision to enlist in Royal n Navy the day after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Drew Chilcott was just 17 when he enlisted in the Royal n Navy where he spent two decades serving his country
As an able seaman he undertook 13 high risk overseas missions, including a deployment in the Middle East before he was medically discharged in May 2021 after he broke his back during a training operation.
Tragically Mr Chilcott died just 17 months later in a motorcycle accident.
He and Ms Chilcott were married not long after the couple first met 10 years ago.
In her desperate battle to stay in Ms Chilcott sought assistance from her federal MP Ian Goodenough, who appealed for immigration minister Andrew Giles to ‘urgently intervene’ in the matter last September.
‘Granting her the Parent (subclass 103) visa on compassionate grounds would not only alleviate her immediate concerns but would also allow her to provide the stable and loving environment Jack needs during this difficult time,’ Mr Goodenough wrote.
‘I firmly believe that is a case that would justify Ministerial intervention and your compassion and understanding in this matter would be greatly appreciated, not only by Ms Chilcott but also by the broader community who values and respects the sacrifices made by members of the n Defence Force and their families.’
Shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan and independent senator Jacqui Lambie also took up Ms Chilcott’s cause and called for Mr Giles to urgently intervene in the matter.