They traveled to India, but now they're stranded due to coronavirus restrictions 6,400 miles away.

Priyam Saini and Anuj Dhir were living in separate Australian cities when they connected on an Indian matrimonial matchmaking site last June.

By February, they were married.

Dhir, a civil engineer, says, 'When things are meant to be, they happen quickly.'

The couple held a small civil ceremony in New Delhi with their families present, and shortly after, Dhir left for a new job. Saini, a psychologist, had planned to move from Brisbane to join him in Sydney.

Five months later, she remains in New Delhi.

Saini says, 'We had so many plans, but now we're just waiting to be reunited.'

The couple has been kept apart by travel restrictions in both countries, and they are far from alone.

Of the 18,800 Australian citizens and visa holders overseas who have expressed a desire to return, 7,500 are in India.

In recent months, Australian diplomats have helped 8,000 people board 45 flights from India to Australia, as reported by a spokesperson from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

However, some of the thousands of Australian citizens and visa holders still stranded in India feel that not enough is being done to help them return. They are angry, frustrated, and some are running out of money.

They blame Australia's restrictions on international arrivals, which have reduced the number of citizens and residents allowed to return each week by 50%.

They also criticize the government's decision to permit 300 international students to return next month, seeing it as evidence that the country's leaders have abandoned their own citizens.

Borders remain closed.

Australia has implemented some of the strictest border measures globally to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On March 18, it banned Australians from leaving the country. Two days later, the government closed its borders to anyone who isn't a citizen or a resident.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged, 'We also strongly advise Australians wanting to return home to do so as soon as possible.' Those who couldn't or chose not to return were told to follow local authority guidelines.

Australia's first wave of COVID-19 cases peaked in late March, and for a while, it seemed the country had effectively suppressed community transmission. However, in early July, cases began to rise again, prompting the government to impose stricter limits on international arrivals.

Before the caps were enforced, around 8,000 people were returning to Australia every week. Now, only 4,000 are allowed in. Sydney can handle no more than 350 arrivals per day, with fewer than 75 allowed in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.

International flights are banned from landing in Melbourne, the epicenter of the second wave. To comply with the regulations, airlines are either rescheduling flights for returning citizens and residents or canceling them altogether.

In early August, Australia's national cabinet confirmed that the current flight caps would remain in place until October 24.

'At this moment, considering the risks, we must keep the flight caps as they are,' said the Prime Minister on Friday, adding that these caps would be reassessed every two weeks.

The government asserts that these limits are necessary to relieve pressure on the hotel quarantine system, where all incoming travelers must undergo a 14-day stay.

While hotel quarantine has been effective in some cities, it has been blamed for the recent spike in cases in Victoria, which has led authorities to reimpose a lockdown.

Nearly 99% of Victoria's second-wave cases have been traced back to two quarantine hotels in Melbourne, the state's capital, as revealed by officials during an inquiry into the outbreak.

Australians stranded in India feel they are suffering because of failures in one state's quarantine system, pointing out that other cities have managed risks effectively.

'The mistakes made within the country are impacting people like us,' says Sameer Raichandani, who traveled to India in June to be with his father during his leukemia treatment.

Raichandani hopes to return to Sydney for the birth of his second child in early November, but with each passing day, his hope of making it back is diminishing.

Empty homes.

In February, Vinod Nagaraja and Sangeeta Kumar had just enough time to move their belongings into their new Sydney home before flying to India the next day to be with Kumar’s ailing mother.

They had planned to return on March 26, after the funeral, but their flight was canceled when India imposed a strict lockdown that lasted until June. Since then, they've been trying to book flights from Kochi, Kerala, and have suitcases packed, hoping for a sudden opening.

'We’re ready to leave at any moment, but the real challenge is securing tickets,' says Kumar.

Several flights that were scheduled to depart from India in July were canceled due to the flight restrictions. Two flights left for Australia in early August, with two more planned for August 22 and 26.

Excitement spread through the Facebook group 'Australians stuck in India,' where members shared their frustrating experiences of failed attempts to return home. On Twitter, High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell encouraged travelers to keep an eye on Air India’s website and social media for updates.

Saini, the newlywed, spent hours staring at her laptop, hoping for ticket availability. When nothing appeared, she visited the Air India office in New Delhi to inquire about the situation.

'I was just crying because I found out the tickets were already sold out, and there were no flights until October,' she recalls.

Air India explained that the tickets for the two flights went to passengers who had been bumped from earlier flights, and even then, the number of available seats was limited.

An Air India representative explained, 'The flights are limited to just 45 passengers due to the restrictions imposed by Australian authorities.'

No other airlines are authorized to operate flights from India to Australia. However, India's Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, mentioned last week that the two nations are in talks to increase flight availability.

In August, only four flights from New Delhi to Australia were planned, collectively carrying around 400 passengers, according to both Australia's High Commission in India and Air India.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) stated that they are still 'exploring options' for Australians to catch commercial flights.

'At present, there are no plans for government-assisted flights from India,' a DFAT spokesperson confirmed.

The 'Vande Bharat Mission' repatriation flights from India to Australia are not listed beyond October 23, leaving no available options for returnees.

Families Divided

Some are so desperate to return home that they are considering booking charter flights.

Mehul Patel is desperately trying to secure tickets for his wife and daughter, who are stranded in Rajkot, Gujarat. He hasn’t seen them since February when he flew back to Melbourne. He missed his daughter's first birthday on Friday and is eager to reunite with his family.

Charter flights require approval from the Australian Border Force to land, but Patel says that no such approvals have been granted yet.

Many people’s frustration turned to outrage when the Australian government revealed a pilot program to bring 300 international students into Adelaide in September, aimed at supporting the ailing university sector.

The government emphasized that no special charter flights would be offered for these students.

Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “There’s no special treatment for these international students. They’ll face the same uncertainties with airlines as everyone else.”

Australians stranded in India worry that the arrival of foreign students might take up seats that could have been reserved for them.

Bryce Onions, an Australian taxi driver currently staying in a budget hotel near the New Delhi airport, believes the government should be doing more to support Australians stuck overseas.

“They’re doing far too little, it’s inadequate, it’s appalling,” he says, expressing his frustration.

Onions had traveled to India before Christmas to visit friends in Darjeeling, West Bengal, with plans to visit Egypt and Botswana before returning home, but those plans have now been scrapped.

“They keep telling us to come home. After all the setbacks I thought I could finally make it, but then I couldn’t,” he says.

Depleting savings

Some Australians stuck overseas are increasingly worried about running out of money while waiting for a chance to return home.

Robert Lepcha, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter are stranded in Sikkim, northeast India. They had planned to return to Australia after spending the holidays with extended family, but their plans have been delayed indefinitely.

Before leaving for India, Lepcha worked as a security guard at a taxi rank in the upscale coastal town of Byron Bay, New South Wales. Now, even if he managed to find a flight, there’s no job waiting for him back home.

“Right now, I’m basically relying on borrowing money from friends and family back in Australia. My savings are completely depleted,” he says.

Lepcha is also worried about taking his wife and child on a four-hour flight to New Delhi, even if he were able to secure a seat.

“Delhi is a hotspot for COVID-19. I fear getting infected myself,” he admits.

Out of over three million confirmed COVID-19 cases in India, more than 161,000 are in New Delhi, which has seen over 4,300 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

On Friday, the Australian Prime Minister announced that the government was looking into additional ways to assist Australians stranded abroad. Until then, many have no choice but to wait.

Their relationship may have begun as an online connection between two different cities, but being separated by two countries is 'so much harder,' Dhir shares.

“Back then, even though we were in a long-distance relationship, there was always something to look forward to… The uncertainty of the future now is what makes it really tough,” Dhir reflects.