48-year-old Estonian asks for a visa in Australia to be with his 103-year-old lover (10 photos)

48-year-old lawyer from Estonia Mart Soeson claims that he is head over heels in love with the 103-year-old widow of his grandfather, who lives in Australia, and the age difference does not matter to them. And their romance has nothing to do with the application for an Australian visa. Soesong just needs a visa to be close to the woman he loves.





A 48-year-old Estonian lawyer is asking to be left in Australia to be with his 103-year-old girlfriend and understands why some skeptics may not believe their love is real.

Mart Soeson has been in a relationship with Elfriede Rijt since 2013, and the couple lived together until Elfriede was forced to move into a nursing home in 2022. Mrs Riit, who was born in Estonia, is the widow of Mart Soeson's grandfather - she was his second wife - and will turn 104 in February.



The couple insist the 55-year age difference doesn't matter and they should be allowed to continue their "exclusive long-term romance" for whatever time Ms Riyt has left.

“What started out as a helpful connection I had with my late grandfather’s widow slowly but surely turned into a very meaningful and loving relationship,” states Mart Soeson.





Mr Soeson is seeking permanent residence in Australia on the basis that Ms Riyt is his partner, but to date his visa application has been refused. The reason for the refusal was not officially explained to him, but he believes that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had suspicions about the legality of their union.

“Yes, I know there is an age difference,” Soesung says. “And I know that's a problem for some people.” But, as a rule, age difference is a problem when the woman is older and the man is younger. This is somehow never a problem in the case of an older man and a younger woman. And I am not able to change this attitude."



Mart Soeson took his case to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to have the matter heard. The hearing at the tribunal's Sydney office did not take place because Ms Riith was too upset to attend the hearing.



Over a cup of coffee in the courtroom, Mart Soeson told reporters from Daily Mail Australia that he met Elfriede Riyt in early 1996, when he came to Australia to study English. She remembered him as the grandson of her late husband Alfred and years later invited him to stay at her home in Bankstown in south-west Sydney.

According to Mr. Soeson, it was not love at first sight, but they quickly became friends and their bond became stronger every day.

“She offered me guidance, support and companionship,” Mart Soeson wrote in a statement that is part of his appeal. “We had a lot in common and a lot of reasons to spend time together under the circumstances.”

Soeson returned to Estonia but came to Australia for holidays in 2000 and 2007 to see Elfriede, whom he by then “cared about very much” and “missed very much”.

“During these two trips, my connection with Elfriede became even stronger, and when I returned to Estonia, I felt a longing for communication with her,” his statement said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my visits, and meeting her helped me feel much more fulfilled and happy in life.” When I returned from a trip in 2007, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something in my life, and that something was Elfrida.”



The man took annual leave to travel to Sydney in 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 for the sole purpose of seeing Ms Riith. During their last visit, the couple realized that their feelings for each other had become deeper and went beyond friendship.

“After spending the last five holiday seasons together, Elfriede and I have become very close,” the statement said. “Elfrida was absolutely in love with me, and I had the same feelings for her.”

According to Mart Soeson, the woman demonstratedShe expressed her love for him by spending more time in the kitchen, preparing his favorite dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Elfriede and I also became physically closer, she was constantly hugging me and paying attention to me in a way she hadn’t before.”

Mr Soeson believes his romantic relationship with Elfriede Riyt began in January 2013, when she was 92 and he was 37.

“Before we met, Elfrida felt very lonely and helpless. Since we started living together, I have brought joy, happiness and security into her life.”



Elfriede Reijt, an Australian citizen who fled Europe after World War II, was left alone after the death of her husband in 1987. When asked in court if she wanted Mr. Soeson to return to Estonia, she exclaimed: “No!”

In her legal filing, the woman said that by January 2013, she realized her feelings for Marth went far beyond friendship.

“I fell in love with him and it was something I needed to express,” she said in a statement. “I was lonely, I needed a partner by my side, someone who cared for me and was there to rejoice with me in the good times and support me in the difficult ones, and I know I found that in Martha.”

The next step for Soeson was to leave his legal career in Estonia and move to Australia to Rijt's house in Bankstown, which he did in September 2018.

“I quickly began planning as I knew it would be difficult to move all my affairs, belongings and life to Australia to live permanently with my partner,” he said in a statement.

By the time the couple began cohabiting, Elfriede Rijt was 98 years old and, according to 43-year-old Mart Soeson, she was still "extremely active." They lived together until Elfriede Riyt moved into a nursing home in September 2022.



“This decision was not easy for both of us, but was forced due to her health condition and the recommendations of medical professionals,” Soesong said in a statement. — Changes in Elfrida’s living conditions did not change our relationship. We love each other and are still spiritually and emotionally connected."

Mart Soesong first applied for permanent residence in March 2016 and was granted a temporary visa in July 2017 but was refused a permanent (partner) visa before Christmas 2018.

He hoped the court would accept that he had a "genuine de facto relationship" with Elfriede Reijt and allow him to remain in Australia.

“Love doesn’t ask age,” he told Daily Mail Australia. “We still have a strong relationship.” We want to stay together because she doesn’t have decades of life ahead of her.”

The man had to make significant sacrifices to start a new life with Elfriede Riyt in Australia. His legal documents were not recognized, and he worked part-time as a painter.



“Since January 2013, Elfriede and I have been in an exclusive, long-term romantic relationship,” he wrote in his statement. “I moved to Australia and sacrificed many years for Elfrida’s well-being and our sincere commitment. She perceives me as her husband, despite the fact that we have never entered into an official or civil marriage.”

Mrs. Riyt, who has no children, receives an old-age pension, and the couple live on this money plus what Mart earns.

“We have no grand plans for the future, we are moving forward step by step and are grateful for what life brings us,” Mr. Soesong said in a statement.

A man regularly visits his girlfriend in a nursing home, bringing her her favorite foods: chocolate, berries and fruits. They go to concerts, chapel services, watch TV together, go out for coffee with friends, and visit medical specialists.



Mart Soeson changes the batteries in Elfriede Riyt's hearing aid and supplies her with medication.

“As time goes on, she becomes more and more dependent on me,” he says in a statement. “She constantly asks where I am, and gets very worried when she knows I’m not around.” In the long run, we hope to continue our relationship and give each other our undivided devotion and love. We are devoted to each other, in love and consider each other partners not only in love, but also in life.”

According to Soeson, the couple has no plans to marry because Elfrida Reayt is not interested in marriage.

“She's very modern. Elfrida told me that a relationship is equal to a marriage. She said she doesn't miss marriage."

Soesong's appeal will be heard on the scheduled date, and he is very hopeful of success.