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Dr Bernhard Möller in Horsham

Surprising decision from the Immigration Department

In 2008 the German specialist in internal medicine Dr. Bernhard Möller, who was working in Horsham (a town of about 14,000 inhabitants approximately 300 km north-west of Melbourne), applied for permanent residency for himself and his family. The Möller family came to Horsham two-and-a-half years earlier from the town of Bad Driburg in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, because Dr Möller had successfully applied for a position there. He was employed as a doctor in the Horsham hospital and received a work permit valid through to 2010.[1]

Dr Möller with his son Lukas
Photo by kind permission of the Wimmera Mail-Times

The family settled in well at Horsham – their youngest child Lukas (13 years old) played with friends and took part in sport. The family enjoyed life in Australia and wanted to stay on an ongoing basis.

In October 2008 Möller received the news that his application for permanent residency had been knocked back by the Australian immigration authorities – he was amazed and could not believe it. Although medical specialist positions in rural areas of Australia are difficult to staff, the immigration department rejected the German doctor’s application for permanent residency because his son Lukas is a Down-syndrome child. The authorities decided that Lukas’s disability would cause significant and ongoing costs to the Australian tax-payers. Möller was extremely disappointed and felt that the immigration authorities had not taken into account the work that he was doing and the contribution to the local community that he was making. He also said that Lukas attended a mainstream school, that the family was ready to cover any additional cost, and that as a well-qualified professional in high demand he was unlikely to face unemployment.[2][3]

Möller’s colleagues in Horsham, including Don McRae, director of clinical services at Wimmera Health Care Group, were also surprised.[4]

On 26th November Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans overturned his department's decision, and granted Dr Bernhard Möller and his family the right to stay in Australia. Senator Evans told the Senate: “Dr Möller is providing a much needed service in the area. The family having integrated very well and they have substantial community support.”[5][6]

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