Lana, now 34, had fled family violence in Iran, risking her life to travel to Australia by boat from Indonesia in 2013. After her vessel was intercepted by Australian authorities, she was detained on Christmas Island then moved to an open detention centre on Nauru, where she stayed for almost four years. In 2017, married to Scott and four months pregnant, she was flown to Brisbane’s immigration detention centre for medical reasons, where she spent the remainder of her pregnancy.
The pair have a seven-year-old son and live in regional Queensland. Lana took her husband’s surname and now works, when her limited immigration status allows, in disability support.
But with no possibility of acquiring permanent residency while in Australia, Lana is about to take what may seem an unthinkable step – returning to Iran to wait up to two years while an offshore application is processed.