British backpacker will 'never be able to enter' Australia due to medical condition

Joshua Nair
2026-03-16T12:43:01.263Z
Lifestyle

Regan Sparks said she 'didn't ever think that would be a problem'

Regan Sparks will heartbreakingly never be allowed to visit Australia, despite dreaming of travelling the Land Down Under.

Just 23 years old, the young woman has already visited an array of hotspots across Europe and Asia.

She has zip-lined, hiked mountains and even started to train for the New York marathon, all while living with a chronic health condition.

Regan has cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition which causes thick mucus to block the lungs and digestive system, and can lead to chronic infections.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, over 11,000 UK citizens are living with CF, while it's estimated that 100,000 people around the world have the rare condition, which has no cure.

The Brit was rejected for a working holiday visa in Australia last February, despite being let in to a number of nearby South East Asian countries in the past.

Regan's visa to Australia was rejected due to her cystic fibrosis condition (Instagram/Rsparks.travel)

According to the Albanese Government, Regan is too much of a medical liability due to her chronic disorder, as she relies on medication to manage her CF while she's overseas.

Regan has a team of doctors in London to determine whether she's fit to travel and that she's ready for any potential emergencies.

With the help of these experts, she's been able to visit some obscure locations, but it seems like Australia will not be ticked off her list.

Back in 2023, she declared her illness on her visa application, but promised to fund her healthcare privately, without Medicare, which British citizens are entitled to.

The Daily Mail further reports that her visa episode lasted over two years and cost her around $1,000 in medical exams, but it amounted to nothing as Regan has now been rejected for not only a working holiday visa, but a tourist visa as well.

'Based on a blanket assumption'

The backpacker was in tears when explaining the situation to followers (Instagram/Rsparks.travel)

She took to social media to explain her situation, emotionally admitting that she 'will never be allowed into Australia'.

Regan admitted to her followers: "I didn't ever think that would be a problem."

She found out that she was rejected over fears that her condition would be an issue for the Medicare system, despite not being hospitalised in over two years.

Her first appeal would be rejected, before coming back with letters from both her doctors in London and the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust.

She said in a video: "[The Trust] basically said it's f**king barbaric not to let someone in based on a blanket assumption."

Regan claimed that the government rejected the application based on a 'hypothetical person of my age, with my condition, and how much I hypothetically could cost them', instead of her own situation.

"Which is just crazy because... CF is very individual, and it affects everyone differently, and I myself manage mine very well," she highlighted.

'The first time I felt hatred towards my CF'

Regan has been all over Europe and Asia in the past few years (Instagram/Rsparks.travel)

Regan then acknowledged that the only way she'd be allowed in to Australia is if she married an Australian, but she is still confused as to why they aren't letting her visit.

She said: "I think it's so discriminating... the reason I'm upset is the fact that I personally have never ever let CF stop me from doing a single thing.

"I've never used it as an excuse to not do something that normal people do."

Regan further explained: "This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt hatred towards my CF. That I have ever felt different because of my illness.

"This is the first time my disability has got in the way of my life."

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "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 claimed: "Having a disease or health condition does not mean an applicant will not meet the migration health requirement."

The spokesperson said that visa officials consider if a condition costs more than $86,000, confirming that the costs are worked out by comparing to 'a hypothetical person with the same condition'.

What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis?

While there is no cure for CF, medicines and treatments that can help ease the symptoms (Getty Stock Images)

The thick, sticky mucus that affects the lungs and digestive system of CF patients can cause a number of symptoms.

However, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust notes that the condition 'is as varied as the people who have it'.

"Everyone's symptoms of CF, and how they are affected by them, is cause by each individual's genotype (genetic make-up)," it adds.

According to the NHS, symptoms can include:

A persistent cough and bringing up mucus

Wheezing and shortness of breath

Recurrent sinus and chest infections

Constipation

Pain in the stomach, bloating and swelling

Big, greasy and sticky poos which can be difficult to flush away

Unexplained weight loss

Swollen fingertips and rounder nails

Very salty sweat