Couple's desperate plea to immigration minister Andrew Giles to allow them stay in Australia after living here for a decade: 'This is our home' Couple living in Australia for 10 years facing deportation The Administrative Appeals Tribunal said the case seemed unfair By Brett Lackey For Daily Mail Australia Published: 08:34, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 08:05, 18 August 2023 e-mail 2 View comments A couple expecting their first child who have called Australia home for the last ten years are facing being deported over what they say was a bureaucratic 'mistake'. Michaela Loudinova, who is heavily pregnant, and her husband Miroslav Sulak both arrived in Australia in 2013 from the Czech Republic on student visas and fell in love with the country. Ms Loudinova worked her way up to a job managing a restaurant in Sydney 's eastern suburbs using her Diploma of Management and was sponsored for a skilled worker visa. But for the last five years, she has been battling to stay in the country after her application was rejected by the Department of Home Affairs in 2018. Ms Loudina was told her application was refused because the restaurant didn't provide enough evidence to show they could regularly pay her for the next two years. Michaela Loudinova, who is heavily pregnant, and her husband Miroslav Sulak have been fighting to stay in the country for five years Ms Loudinova has a diploma in management and is working as a concierge at a hotel A couple expecting their first child who has called Australia home for the last ten years are facing being deported over what they say was a bureaucratic 'mistake'. Michaela Loudinova, who is heavily pregnant, and her husband Miroslav Sulak both arrived in Australia in 2013 from the Czech Republic on student visas and fell in love with the country. Ms Loudinova worked her way up to a job managing a restaurant in Sydney's eastern suburbs using her Diploma of Management and was sponsored for a skilled worker visa. But for the last five years, she has been battling to stay in the country after her application was rejected by the Department of Home Affairs in 2018. Ms Loudina was told her application was refused because the restaurant didn't provide enough evidence to show they could regularly pay her for the next two years. The couple are expecting a child in December but are facing the stress of having to regularly apply for bridging visas and not knowing if they will be deported They have not heard anything from the Minister's office in more than a year and the couple have now launched a petition asking Mr Giles to consider their case on 'compassionate grounds'. More than 8,500 people have signed the petition. Without this intervention, we will be forced to leave Australia,' Ms Loudinova said. 'Ten years of hard work and skills in critical industry sectors gone in an instant.' The couple both continue to work, Ms Loudinova as a concierge in a hotel and her husband for an electrical company. Mr Giles office said it could not comment on individual visa cases. Share or comment on this article: Couple's desperate plea to immigration minister Andrew Giles to allow them stay in Australia after living here for a decade: 'This is our home' e-mail Add comment Comments 2 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have been moderated in advance. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy .