This is the sort of thing that only government bureaucracy can come up with: Australian immigration authorities have decided that Rosabelle Glasby couldn't bring her identical twin sister into the country because ... they're not related!
Adopted by different families shortly after their birth in Malaysia, Mrs Glasby and Dorothy Loader were separated for almost 50 years before finally meeting last September.
But now Mrs Glasby, from Margaret River, is facing an uphill battle to be permanently reunited with her twin, who lives in Malaysia. In a letter to Mrs Glasby last month, DIAC state director Paul Farrell explained that despite the circumstances, the present laws meant Ms Loader would not be eligible for family migration.
"Under Migration Law where the legal relationship between a child and his/her birth parents has been severed by adoption, the legal relationship between the child and his/her birth siblings is also severed,'' he said.
"It therefore does not appear that your twin sister would be eligible for a permanent visa under the Family Stream of the Migration Program.''
Mrs Glasby said she was heartbroken that her long-lost twin did not qualify as family. "We're identical twin sisters _ we're the same egg,'' she said. ``Just because we got adopted into different families they say they don't consider us related. It's hard to get anyone more related to me.''
Despite them being sisters by birth there is no legal reason for the sister to be allowed into Australia.
Not nice but if it were reversed then it would have far wider ramifications for people who were adopted.
Could they be taken back by their biological parents after the adoption? And if so up until what age?
if i found out that i had an identical twin brother, and i met him for the first time today, and then he wanted to borrow some money or something...no way.
it's just like how deadbeat dads are nothing compared to step fathers who raise a child. that deadbeat dad might be the biological father but the stepfather was there yo.
The term 'relationhship' in this context is clearly spelt out. I don't think this is 'nuts' or bureaucratic, it's more a matter of semantics that's getting people confused.
Athon
Athon
And my great grandparents, who migrated here from the UK, well they should have gone right back to the UK.
And their ancestors, who wandered up to Europe from Africa, well they should have gone right back to Africa.
And their ancestors, who evolved into humans from chimps, well they should have stayed bloody chimps.
Grrrr.
Australia, like anywhere, can be racist and xenophobic. Ask the Aboriginal's. Generally, it is known as the most multi-culture, multi-race, multi-religion place on Earth.
I dispute the 'neatness' of this and think a better spin would have been that the local Chinese committee claim that this years 'Chinese New Year' was the largest in the world outside China (by the way, I find this hard to believe but it was big and ace)...however THAT is neat.
ps: they look more fraternal than identical.
Sure it's illegal but it would make for an interesting story.
I am an identical twin & I can tell you that you would feel very differently if you really did have a twin.
No legalities can seperate twins. Period. The bond of twins runs far deeper than technicalities and paperwork.