A UK social media sensation set to meet fans in Perth is being deported from Australia on his birthday after border force officials reportedly found an issue with the star’s visa.
Big John Fisher flew 17 hours on a Qantas flight from London to Perth, where he was locked in to meet fans at Molly’s Irish Pub ahead of a DJ set at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday and a visit to Hillarys Beach Club on Sunday.
However, not long after he set foot on Australian soil, the internet celebrity said Australian Border Force officers at Perth Airport pulled him aside.
The 51-year-old soon broke the news to his more than 688,000 Instagram fans that he was detained for four hours and was placed in a deportation hotel after officials claimed Big John was in Australia on a tourist visa and shouldn’t be working.
“I’m flying home tomorrow, on my birthday,” he said in a video posted online.
“I’ve been detained by Border Force for four hours and I’m now in a holding hotel.
“My visa was legal coming in, but they’re not happy with what I’m doing here, so they’re sending me home.
“I’m sorry, Australia. I’m sorry, Perth, sorry Sydney. I won’t be at any of my appearances this weekend, but please support the ones I was going to be at because they’re going to be good days.
“I’ll let you know more when I get home. To be truthful, I just want to get home. All the best, let’s have it. Bosh or no bosh.”
Big John later said an immigration official showed him “several pages detailing things I’d been advertising that I was going to be doing while I’m in Perth”.
“I don’t hide what I’m doing when I’m there — never have,” he told UK publication Metro.
“The lady then said, ‘Your visa doesn’t allow other people to profit from your work’, referencing the companies I was working for.”
“Well, no one told me!”
Big John said he told officials he could cancel his appearances if they let him into the country, but after deliberations lasted four hours, it was decided his visa would be cancelled.
Big John also claimed he had been “manhandled” by security at Perth Airport and was left shaken by the ordeal.
‘It wasn’t nice how I was treated. I love Australia and the Australians, but this has left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said.
In another message to his Bosh Army, Big John promised he would be back.
“I’ve got to laugh or I would cry. A legal issue which got me detained for four hours,” he wrote in a post alongside a photo of him behind bars with the words “free Big John”.
“Detained in Australia on my birthday. Totally gutted is an understatement. Love the Aussie people though. I’ll be back.”
The visa issue comes after Big John has previously visited Australia many times in the past.
He was last in WA in February for an event at Ascot Racecourse following a visit last year in March.
Big John gained a huge social media following by teenagers and young adults after he became known for his voracious appetite of Chinese food and his catchphrase “bosh”, meaning “life is good.”
PerthNow contacted ABF for comment but “due to privacy obligations, the ABF does not comment on individual passengers”, a spokeswoman said.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.perthnow.com.au ’
