Neil Para and his family celebrated their daughter's 10th birthday this week.
They had cake, candles, a family dinner and invited friends to share in the celebrations.
It sounds like any normal child's birthday but to those who know the family, this one carried special significance.
It marked the day birthday girl Nive was able to apply for Australian citizenship and as the week went on, the celebrations continued.
On Wednesday evening, the family received a letter stating their application was successful and Nive was now officially an Australian citizen.
Nive is the only member of her family who is eligible for citizenship, with her mum, dad, and two sisters considered "unauthorised maritime arrivals".
She was born in Australia after her family fled Sri Lanka fearing for their lives.
Children born in Australia are citizens only if one or both parents are Australian citizens or permanent residents. Now she has lived here 10 years, Nive meets citizenship criteria.
Her citizenship status brings new hope to the family that has been living in limbo in Ballarat without any visa status since the year after Nive was born.
"It is very good news for us. Immediately we felt really happy and excited but soon after we just wanted this to happen for at least our other two girls," Neil says.
"I want my other children to have the same rights as their friends have.
"If we are granted permanent residency we will be able to support our kids."
Living with no visa means Nive's father Neil, mother Sugaa and sisters Nivash, 14, and Kartie, 12, cannot work, receive social security payments or access Medicare.
The family has built a life and deep connections in Ballarat, finding ways to give back as much as they can to the community that is keeping them afloat.
But Neil says it has been like torture since the Immigration Department rejected their application for protection in 2014 and has knocked back several appeals and reviews since.
Daughter's new status gives family hope
Neil says Nive's citizenship gives him new hope that Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will re-consider his family's plea for permanent residency on "compassionate grounds".
"They can [ask about] our character from anyone in Ballarat," he says.
"When I came here, I had very dark hair and a strong body. Now I have grey hair and have lost my strength. I came here at 33, now I am 44.
"Fifteen years of my life are gone because of my country's troubles. We trusted here when we came here, but it has been mental torture.
"I don't understand how the department lets us in the community without any type of visa."
The family is at risk of deportation any time a review or appeal is not underway and they rely on community supporters to fund their life.
A group of 40 friends chip in $10 a week to pay the family's rent.
A refugee support group pays for their groceries and bills, while other friends pay the children's state school fees.
"It makes me so very grateful but we don't know what we are going to be able to give back," Neil says.
"People showing love and support like this, I can't explain how I feel in English or even in my own language. It is an extraordinary feeling.
"You know the saying it takes a village to raise a child? If anyone wants to see it in action, come to Ballarat where a village is raising a family."
While Neil is often overcome with gratitude, he says he can never escape a feeling of frustration.
"Every day we talk about when are we going to work? When will I be able to look after my family?" he says.
Frustration becomes 'torment'
In the meantime, he does his best to give back to his community as a State Emergency Service volunteer and by joining tree plantings and clean-up events, while Sugaa volunteers in aged care and at the Ballarat visitor information centre where 14-year-old Nivash also helps out.
Their children are deeply entrenched in the community through school and activities, participating in sport, music and homework clubs, as well as joining their parents in volunteering.
Neil's frustration at his family's situation, which he describes as "torment", is reaching boiling point.
He is posting daily on his public Facebook page, advocating against the plight of other refugees like him, attending rallies outside Parliament House in Canberra and organising homegrown protests in Ballarat.
"I want permanent visas for everyone who is here on no visa who is ignored and forgotten," Neil says.
"People are very traumatised and frustrated. They have been waiting for a long time."
Neil refers to the Sri Lankan family who lived in the outback Queensland town of Biloela for three years before being detained in 2018 after the government ruled they had no legal rights to be in Australia.
Their detention triggered a long court battle and a high-profile campaign by Biloela locals who fought for the family to be returned to the town.
Mr Giles used his ministerial power in August to grant the family permanent residency.
"Every refugee is happy they got permanent residency, but there is a lot of frustration," Neil says.
"The government can do for everyone else what they did for the Biloela family. At the moment every single refugee is very frustrated and very depressed."
A Department of Immigration spokesperson told the ABC people living in Australia "unlawfully" were encouraged to approach the department to resolve their status.
The spokesperson said non-citizens who exhausted all avenues to remain in Australia were expected to leave.
"Those unwilling to depart voluntarily may be subject to detention and removal from Australia," the spokesperson said.
Mr Giles has said he will deliver a federal government commitment to move people on temporary protection visas to permanent protection.
