Rules sometimes need to be broken

Ellie Gregory and Jukka Guy during their engagement. Source: Supplied

The rules weren't written for cases like Ellie Gregory's.

There comes a time when rules need to be broken. An exception needs to be made.

And a bit of common sense - and common decency - must prevail.

Today, The Sunday Times reveals the story of British 24-year-old Ellie Gregory.

Ellie came to Australia as a backpacker in 2009, setting off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

But after meeting a North Albany Football Club premiership player by the name of Jukka Guy, that plan changed.

From the moment she met Jukka on the night of his birthday at his father's Ongerup pub, Ellie says: ``I knew that we were supposed to be together''.

The couple fell in love - and soon they were planning a life together.

Ellie had found the love of her life and a new place to call home.

Jukka and Ellie have lived together since September 2010. Their love for one another has taken them to England and Finland, as visa restrictions pushed them far and wide to prove their love for one another.

But after they got engaged, their future was set in the pristine coastal city of Albany.

Ellie returned home to England, packed up her belongings and farewelled her family for her new life in Australia.

The couple was due to marry on April 5 this year.

But just days before, Jukka tragically passed away in his sleep.

What was to be their wedding day became Jukka's funeral, attended by more than 1000 people, including the couple's 120 wedding guests.

It was supposed to be the day they made a life-long promise to one another. Instead, it became the day Ellie - and the couple's family and friends - said goodbye to a ``magical man''.

Now, the Immigration Department is telling Ellie she must leave the life she has created in Australia.

The prospective marriage visa she re-entered the country on earlier this year expires on December 6. And there are no exceptions for heart-wrenching cases like Ellie's.

She will have to leave the country and try her luck with another visa.

I don't think that's good enough. That's not the way we should treat someone who has suffered unimaginable pain, and worked hard, paying taxes, to make a life here.

And, I believe, honest, hard-working people like Ellie deserve better. She is the exception to the rule – and must be treated as such.