Divided Families - Scotland


https://www.facebook.com/groups/416927848454512/

Support group for divided families north of the border.

This group is co-ordinated by our very own Fran.

A rare apology

Regular readers may recall the story of our supporter Francisca from a couple of months ago :

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/clusterflock-today-i-learned-that-our.html

The government picked up an image of Francisca's daughter - a young girl they tried to effectively deport - for a campaign about dividing families. Without her permission. Or the photographer's permission.

 http://pic.twitter.com/E0O4S9x9Ci

Hence a subsequent twitterstorm, as well as the Daily Record (which had campaigned for Francisca's right to remain in the UK) weighing in.

Francisca tweets here, if you'd like to follow her : https://twitter.com/PanxaUrra

Well, today Francisca got a written apology - finally. Unfortunately the government is trying to pin it on outsourced staff outside the UK (nothing like a little bit of xenophobia there). Nonetheless, this is quite something :

Francisca's family's story :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/francisca

Buzzfeed : The government illustrated an immigration story with a picture of a girl it tried to deport

More coverage of this ineptitude.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/the-government-illustrated-an-immigration-story-with-a-pictu

'The government has apologised after using a picture of a girl it tried to deport to illustrate a story on tough immigration controls.'

'The news story covers the Home Office’s decision to appeal against the decision to impose a a high court ruling on the minimum income threshold for new immigrants... '

Previously :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/clusterflock-today-i-learned-that-our.html
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/daily-record-mums-fury-after-government.html

Daily Record : Mum's fury after government website publishes picture of girl, 8, who was saved from deportation by Daily Record campaign

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/mums-fury-after-government-website-3383844

'THE mother of a young girl saved from being kicked out of Scotland by a Daily Record campaign has spoken of her disgust after the youngster’s picture was published on a Government website.

'Francisca Canales, 28, was furious when she saw eight-year-old Millie’s photograph on the Gov.UK website alongside an article about immigration appeals.

'The picture of Millie and two friends was taken by a Record photographer when we highlighted moves to deport Francisca to Chile...'

'... A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are extremely sorry.

“The photograph should never have been used in this way.”'

Previously - Clusterflock :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/clusterflock-today-i-learned-that-our.html

Francisca, Barry and Millie :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-francisca-and-millie-francisca.html

Free Movement : The power of connection 
tells the story in tweets :

http://www.freemovement.org.uk/the-power-of-connection/

Clusterflock

Today I learned that our friend Francisca's family was picked by the Home Office for a campaign about dividing families. Without her - or the photographer's - permission.

http://pic.twitter.com/E0O4S9x9Ci

We previously published the family's story - and their marvellous campaign - here :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-francisca-and-millie-francisca.html

At the time, Francisca wrote :
'My daughter Millie was born in the UK. She has no understanding of her mum’s (my) home country. Why does she need to be deported too?'

Francisca and Barry.

Millie is the same girl whose likeness someone at the Home Office picked for its ill-advised campaign.

The family was ultimately successful (testament to it being possible for families to campaign - and win - although this is no easy proposition) :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/an-update-from-francisca-franciscas.html
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/birthday-delight-for-scottish.html

Given what this family has already been through, the actions of the bureaucrats in using the young girl's image - a girl who knows only Scotland as home - constitute a breaktakingly insensitive masterclass in callousness and incompetence - first as tragedy, then as farce.

The original photograph which the Home Office decided to use was published by the Daily Record - 'Girl, 7, spared deportation to Chile as UK Border Agency drop fight to have her kicked out of Britain ' :
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/girl-7-spared-deportation-chile-1928558

The story is, unsurprisingly, making its way around the blogs and Twitter.

Free Movement -  'Home Office picks wrong family photo for campaign ' :
http://www.freemovement.org.uk/home-office-picks-wrong-family-photo-for-campaign/

Francisca herself is naturally furious and experessing that fury on her Twitter feed ( https://twitter.com/PanxaUrra ) :

'This is a slap in the face to my family and especially my daughter … we are ever so distressed.'
 
'I'm a mum and I will fight teeth and nail to protect my family's integrity. I was born a a fighter.'

Update 5/April :As Francisca and others have pointed out, the post with the offending image was removed from the Home Office website.
However, the Web has a long memory and screenshots were taken by several people.

http://web.archive.org/web/20130905215745/https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/uk-immigration-policy-update-family-migration

https://twitter.com/HarleyM65 points out :
'For the record, Home Office also removed the photographer's copyright mark in the photo.'

Birthday delight for Scottish schoolgirl as her family win fight against deportation to Chilean earthquake zone

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/birthday-delight-scottish-schoolgirl-family-3202020

'A SCOTS girl whose mum was threatened with deportation to Chile got the perfect present for her eighth birthday after her family won their fight to remain in Scotland.

'Millie Canales faced leaving the only home she has ever known and travelling 7500 miles as her pregnant mum Francisca was ordered to leave Scotland.

'But when the Daily Record revealed their plight last year, our readers warned Home Office chiefs they would not accept the ruling .

'Now Francisca – a Chilean national – has finally received confirmation she can stay here...

Their story  :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-francisca-and-millie-francisca.html
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/francisca

An update from Francisca

Francisca's story : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-francisca-and-millie-francisca.html

'Hi everyone!
'Just a quick note to let you all know that our tribunal hearing on Monday 3rd will not go ahead now. The reason being is that our legal representative had communication from the UKBA today, stating that they wished to withdrawn their decision and reconsidered it.
'We do not have a time scale for their new decision, however this means that we wont need to go through the stress of Tribunal hearings.
'We are very thankful of your support, prayers and good wishes. We will let you know of any changes in the meantime.
'Please all have a good weekend.
'xxx'

Save Millie and her mum from deportation - support group :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/147515488760221

Barry, Francisca and Millie

Francisca tells her family's story. More on this story here : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/save-millie-and-her-mum-from-deportation.html . Her online petition is here : http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-millie-and-her-mum-from-deportation.html . Francisca's campaign page is here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/147515488760221/

'OUR FAMILY is in the verge of being separated due to the UKBA rules, not allowing me, Francisca Canales, to acquire the right of residence here in the UK.

My daughter Millie was born in the UK. She has no understanding of her mum’s (my) home country. Why does she need to be deported too?

Barry Nicol and I have been in a relationship for four years and we were planning our wedding last year, just before UKBA sent us a letter asking me and my daughter to leave the country. Just before they took my passport.

We are expecting a baby, due in August. I am currently waiting for my appeal hearing to take place at the Tier 1 Tribunals in Glasgow, Scotland. I will then be 7 months pregnant.

We hope our appeal is successful. We didn’t have to go as far as an appeal, I know I clearly have gained the right of residency but UKBA has ignore the fact that my previous relationship was violent and hence why it broke down.

I, Francisca, have studied and worked here in the UK, paid all my taxes and never claimed a penny of benefits, always being transparent and loyal to the UK system, yet we are being punished for that?

I had secured a job in a well paid position at an insurance company, and due to the UKBA failing to provide the right documentation to my ex employer, I have now lost my income and all my maternity pay, and my employer had to let me go.

Millie is currently undertaking therapy with the Stirling Women’s Aid. 

Due to the stress this is causing our family, she cries constantly. 

Millie has created a circle of family union here in Stirling with Barry’s family. She now has grandparents, aunties, cousins, and friends at school. 

Why would you deny Millie, the right to family life? Take her away from school to learn a brand new language, brand new culture, away from her friends, everything she knows of?

Barry has no knowledge of my mother tongue. He’s never been to my home country. All his family live here in Scotland, and they are all looking forward to welcome our new baby.

Why would you deny this baby, and Barry’s family, the right of family life?

Taking me and my daughter away from the UK will mean that Barry will have to stay behind in the UK to work for us or simply making a move to my home country. 

Why does he need to choose between us and his own home country, the UK?

Why do you punish him and us for being in love and wanting to have a family? 

I want my unborn baby and his father together, but the UKBA is trying to make this impossible!

The UKBA is responsible for taking my income, my sanity, my health. What else do you want to take from me? 

My whole entire life, all that we have built here?

We pray and hope our appeal is successful.

Message to Theresa May:

I ask you to consider the new rules with full common sense, and how do they affect families, real families, couples, and children!

We are not terrorists. We pay our way. We contribute to the UK system. And yet we are punished.

Can your caseworkers at the UKBA use common sense when dealing with applications?

Our applications are lives, not just piles of paperwork. We also pay for our legal fees and all our applications.

I hope you use your full discretion on this matter. Please see how many families have been and will be divided because of the poorly set out *rules* of the UKBA.

Yours faithfully,

Francisca, Millie, Barry, and baby Nicol