British Marathon Runner Denied Australian Visas Over Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis
A young British backpacker and avid marathon trainer has been permanently barred from entering Australia because she lives with cystic fibrosis. Regan Sparks, aged 23, has spent years travelling solo across Europe and Southeast Asia, but her application for an Australian working holiday visa was rejected in February last year.
Government Cites Medical Liability Concerns
The Albanese Government determined that Ms Sparks posed too significant a medical liability due to her genetic disorder. Cystic fibrosis is an incurable condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. Despite this, Ms Sparks manages her illness diligently while travelling, using prescribed medications and maintaining regular consultations with her medical team in London to ensure she remains fit for travel and prepared for emergencies.
Her adventurous spirit has taken her to remote, off-grid locations, where she has hiked mountains and enjoyed activities like ziplining in Asia. She was actively training for the 10km Paris Marathon until an ankle injury interrupted her progress.
Visa Ordeal Spans Over Two Years
Ms Sparks declared her cystic fibrosis on her initial Australian working holiday visa application in 2023. In a bid to address concerns, she later promised to fund all her healthcare privately, forgoing any access to Medicare—a system she would typically be entitled to as a UK citizen.
However, her visa struggle extended for more than two years, costing approximately $1,000 in medical examinations, and ultimately led to rejections for both working holiday and tourist visas. In emotional social media videos shared on Monday, Ms Sparks tearfully revealed, "I will never be allowed into Australia."
Appeals and Personal Pleas Fall on Deaf Ears
Ms Sparks explained that she included her cystic fibrosis diagnosis on her application three years ago, never anticipating it would become an issue. About 14 months later, the government requested a $950 medical exam. Another 14 months passed before she learned of her rejection, based on fears that her condition could burden the Medicare system—despite not having been hospitalised in over two years.
In her appeal, she offered to sign documents confirming she would cover all health insurance and medical expenses independently, without government support. When that was denied, she lodged a second appeal with letters from her London doctors and a supportive note from the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust. The trust reportedly described the decision as "barbaric" for relying on blanket assumptions.
Government Uses Hypothetical Cost Assessments
Ms Sparks criticised the government for basing its decision on a "hypothetical person of my age, with my condition, and how much I hypothetically could cost them," rather than evaluating her individual health management. "CF is very individual, and it affects everyone differently, and I myself manage mine very well," she asserted.
After realising she couldn't live and work in Australia, Ms Sparks travelled through Southeast Asia and attempted to apply for a tourist visa to at least visit the country. The process repeated itself: another $950 examination was required, and she ultimately had to withdraw her application.
Discrimination and Future Hopes
Ms Sparks expressed frustration, stating that the only way she might ever enter Australia is by marrying an Australian citizen. While she understands strict medical rules for working holiday visas, she questions why she cannot even holiday in the country. "I think it's so discriminating... the reason I'm so upset is that I personally have never ever let CF stop me from doing a single thing," she said. "I've never used it as an excuse not to do something that normal people do."
Official Response and Policy Framework
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on Ms Sparks's specific case but informed the Daily Mail that all applications are assessed individually based on legal requirements. "With the exception of tuberculosis, the migration health requirement is not condition-specific, and the assessment is undertaken individually for each applicant based on their condition and level of severity," they explained.
The spokesperson clarified that having a disease does not automatically mean an applicant will fail to meet health requirements. A medical officer evaluates whether a condition could exceed $86,000 in costs, with estimates based on a hypothetical person with the same condition. For permanent visa applicants, costings consider remaining life expectancy, capped at ten years.
If an applicant does not meet the migration health requirement, a visa cannot be granted unless a health waiver is available and exercised by the delegate for the specific visa subclass.
