Hi everyone, my name is Megan and I’m a South African living in Australia. I first arrived in Australia in late 2017, and had a beautiful baby girl named Davina in 2023 who also acquired my South African citizenship.

Due to overstaying my last visa by a few months, i ended up in an immigration detention centre. Immigration law states that children aren’t allowed to be detained, so a gracious friend decided to take care of her for me while i was detained. While i have made numerous attempts to get out (legally of course), including exploring the option of being removed, sadly every road came with barriers:

1. The removal pathway is a fight in itself to get the Australian Border Force to get my daughter on my flight with me, as well as the fact that she doesn’t yet have a travel document of her own being an additional hurdle that adds a lot of time to an already slow process.

2. I’ve (unsuccessfully) applied for a Bridging Visa E 3 times since being detained in December 2024 - this visa takes only 2 business days to be granted and would allow me the chance to pack up all mine and my daughter’s things, organise travel documents and say our goodbyes before making our journey back home; it’s also the same visa my daughter has been granted when i made my last application and would allow me to take her freely without having to jump through hoops from inside a detention centre. Upon my last application being denied, my immigration case assessor has said that the only way i would be granted this visa is if i held flight tickets for both myself and my daughter - thus convincing Immigration that we will definitely depart the country and not overstay again (i wouldn’t risk doing this anyway as i want the chance to be able to come back in future, the right way).

The obstacles i now face are the following:

1. I miss my daughter tremendously, and I’m envious of everyone who got to experience Christmas, her 2nd birthday and now Easter with her in my absence. I’m missing out on so much time with her, and being in here has made me realize that while she’s only 2, i need her JUST AS MUCH as she needs me. My heart yearns for her more and more every day.

2. Life be lifeing - my beautifully generous friend has to tend to her own life now, and while I’m forever grateful for just how much she has had to alter her life just to make room for my daughter, it’s important that she cares for the parts of her she’s had to make adjustments to.

3. I simply don’t have the money to pay for mine and my daughter’s flights home as any bridging visa i was on came with the “No Work” condition.

Which leads me to a very last resort - a public plea for help. I don’t have the help or support of family to help me with this, so eating some humble pie seemed the best way forward to make a public plea for help.

PS: If you’ve made it to read this far then you’re a champ! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you feel touched by my story in any way then please please find it in your heart to help us by either sharing the link to this fundraiser far and wide, or making a donation of any amount. Happy Easter all, and stay blessed ❤️