Sara (not her real name) is a young Australian woman whose father, Youssef, faces imminent deportation to Nauru as part of the so-called NZYQ cohort. She fears her family will crumble if he is permanently sent away, describing Nauru as a place of 'final and lifelong punishment'.
A Father's Journey
Youssef came to Australia in the 1990s, seeking protection after absconding from military service in his homeland, and was granted a permanent protection visa in 2001. However, over a 13-year period, he struggled with drug addiction and was convicted of dozens of non-violent property and drug offences, as well as aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon. His visa was cancelled on character grounds, and after his last jail sentence ended in 2019, he was transferred to immigration detention.
A Brief Reunion
When the high court found indefinite immigration detention unlawful in 2023, Youssef was released. Sara recalls picking him up from detention, the first time she saw him outside incarceration since childhood. They spent two years bonding over technology and cars, including a trip to the Australian Grand Prix. But in December 2025, armed Australian Border Force officers arrived to re-detain him. Sara drove him to the immigration office, describing it as the hardest thing she has ever done.
The NZYQ Cohort
Youssef is one of about 350 non-citizens in the NZYQ cohort, all facing potential deportation to Nauru. The Australian government has already sent 12 non-citizens to Nauru on 30-year visas as part of a secretive multibillion-dollar resettlement deal. Human rights lawyers warn this constitutes a 'final and lifelong punishment', noting that many have already served time in prison and indefinite detention.
Impact on Families
According to the Human Rights Law Centre, 131 people in the cohort have children who are Australian citizens, and 63 have an Australian citizen partner or spouse. Dr Michelle Peterie of the University of Sydney has researched the profound and adverse impacts on children and young people whose parents are deported, finding that the sense of loss is most acute in everyday moments. She says the voices of children are almost entirely absent in Australia's immigration debate.
Plea for Intervention
Sara fears for her father's health on Nauru and her mother's ability to cope without him. She is pleading for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to intervene, saying her family is sitting in limbo. In response, Burke thanked the Nauruan government for offering to take people who had their visas cancelled, while the Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on individual cases.
