'It's ridiculous': doctor's decade-long fight for permanent residency in Australia

Despite this, her efforts to become a permanent resident of Australia have so far proved futile.

When she moved to Australia from Mauritius as an 18-year-old on a student visa in 2015, she was told becoming a permanent resident was simple.

"They told me, 'look, it's very easy,'" she said. "'You spend seven years in the country and then you should be fine and you should have your permanent residency and your citizenship.'"

Dr de Speville then did a three-year undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne followed by a four-year postgraduate degree at the University of Wollongong.

"By that time I became a doctor and moved to Albury, but the (immigration department) told me, 'look, you've spent seven years here, but you are on a provisional registration as a first-year doctor,'" Dr de Speville said.

"'You can't become a permanent resident on a provisional registration. You have to have a general registration.'

"I finished my internship and I became a general registered doctor. And then they told me, 'no, you have to do three years of work as a general registered doctor to apply'.

"It feels like the immigration department is changing the rules as they go."

Dr de Speville said it was easier for foreign-trained doctors coming to Australia on an International Medical Graduates program to become a permanent resident.

"I'm a locally trained doctor and the country is crying out for doctors," she said.

"They are getting doctors from overseas to work in Australia, but I still cannot be a permanent resident, and I'm still on a visa.

"It's so demoralising. I'm invested here. I'm working for a public hospital. We bought a house. We're trying to be part of the community, and it feels like we are being rejected."

Over her 10 years in Australia, Dr de Speville has had to get four visas, costing tens-of-thousands of dollars.

"As a non-permanent resident, you don't have Medicare, so you have to pay for health insurance," she explained.

"Now, I'm married to an Australian, but I can't be on the title of my house because I'm not Australian.

"And despite me spending 10 years here and having two degrees from Australia, every time I need to have a visa, they want me to pass an English test, which costs $2000, and you have to sit it in a major city. It's ridiculous."

Dr de Speville met with Albury MP Justin Clancy on Wednesday, June 26, to discuss her battle to become a permanent resident.

Mr Clancy said he reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to help Dr de Speville's application.

"To be honest, it's baffling to think that someone like Tessa is having as many challenges as she is in terms of gaining her permanent residency," he told ACM's The Border Mail.

"She's been in this country for 10 years, did her studies in Australia, married an Australian in Australia, she's working as a clinician in the emergency department here in Albury in such a critical role and one that is making a significant contribution to our community, it is just astounding that it is so hard for her.

"Tessa is someone who's making a genuine contribution to our community, and in a time when we talk about health worker shortages, we want people like Tessa very much here in the Albury community."

The Border Mail contacted the Department of Home Affairs, but was told the department did not comment on individual cases.