BritCits

Louise

“There are better ways of managing immigration than punishing British citizens and the people we love.”

Louise is a British citizen from Manchester. Her husband is Kenyan.

They met in 2011 on a family holiday there. Their relationship started off as just friends, but by the time she returned to the UK, she was so much in love with him, she decided to visit him for Valentines Day. Since then, she has visited him three times a year with her family offering her financial support.

Louise lives at home with her family. They are supporting her while she works in a volunteer and low-income role. She is also searching for full-time work.

The agony of being separated was tearing them apart but their determination to maintain their long distance relationship grew more and more, communicating on bbm (every day) and by talk home calling cards.

A year later, they formalised their love and commitment to each other by getting married in a religious ceremony in Kenya. At the time, neither Louise nor her family were aware of the changes to the family migration rules – they were caught out like so many others.

Unsurprising given the speed and quietness with which the rules were brought in..they weren’t even taken through Parliament in the proper manner!

However, upon finding out they remained unwavering in their determination to stay together no matter what – to maintain their union as husband and wife.

The only family Louise has is her mum, step-dad and young brothers. Louise’s mother-in law passed away when her husband was only a child; her father-in-law is an alcoholic.

Love is blind and isn’t a conscious decision based on earnings or influence; nor family background or nationality.

Louise and her family firmly believe that Theresa May's family migration policy is unfair and punitive. There are better ways of managing migration than punishing British citizens and the people they love.