Mojgan, the Brisbane asylum seeker whose fight made headlines, free with permanent visa

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A young Brisbane asylum seeker, whose fight to remain in Australia made national news after she was detained by armed immigration officers and flown to Darwin, has finally secured permanent residency.

Mojgan Shamsalipoor sought asylum in Australia in 2012 after fleeing an arranged marriage to a 60-year-old man and several assaults in Iran.

But when she was three months away from graduating from Yeronga State High School, she was arrested and “dragged on the ground”.

Mojgan Shamsalipoor, her husband Milad and children.

She “accepted” her year 12 certificate behind the bars of Darwin’s Wickham Point immigration centre, after studying her classes while in detention, later returning to her old high school for an emotional graduation in front of her peers.

After two years in detention, Shamsalipoor was released on a temporary bridging visa in 2016, and then faced a catch-22 situation to remain in Australia, because of rules about applying for a partner’s visa as her husband Milad Jafari, who was a permanent resident at the time, initially arrived by boat.

Leaving Australia was not an option, as she feared for her life if she returned to Iran, and she has relied on a bridging visa being repeatedly renewed, while former immigration minister Peter Dutton refused to intervene in her case.

But on Wednesday, Shamsalipoor, now a mother-of-two, was granted a permanent visa.

The news, shared on a Free Mojgan group, was described as an “unexpected and extraordinary miracle”.

“Today, everything has changed,” supporters wrote.

An emotional moment on stage as Mojgan Shamsalipoor graduates at the Yeronga State High School awards night.

“After so many years of uncertainty, advocacy, heartbreak and hope, the news arrived today – November 19, 2025 – and we are still trying to absorb the enormity of it.

“We do not yet know what finally led to this outcome, but Mojgan is profoundly grateful beyond words.

“Mojgan can now study, travel internationally, and finally build the future she has dreamed of – though the suddenness of this freedom means she is still taking time to consider what comes next.

“What she does know is that whatever the next chapter holds, it will be wonderful.”

In late 2023, Shamsalipoor’s supporters said not having a permanent visa was weighing heavily as it stopped her from pursuing her passion for midwifery, a dream career she had wanted to pursue for more than 15 years.

She was stuck on a temporary bridging visa, having to reapply every six months and could work but had no rights to study, despite being married to an Australian citizen for more than a decade.

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