British immigration law: 'putting a price on family life'.

http://www.channel4.com/news/british-immigration-law-putting-a-price-on-family-life

"It's been a long hard struggle with a system that puts a price on family life." A British woman is reunited with her Syrian husband, but restrictive family migration rules still separate others.

Christine and Ziad : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/ziad
Syria : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/syria

Plight of Syria Britons highlighted

The Government is "actively leaving" relatives of British nationals in danger in Syria by dragging its heels with their visa applications, campaigners have claimed.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/439448/Plight-of-Syria-Britons-highlighted

'Frustrated relatives have started a petition to urge officials to prioritise visa applications by their spouses and family members who are currently trapped in the war-torn country, calling for officials to recognise the "exceptional circumstances" they are facing.

'The petition, on campaign website Avaaz, calls for the Government to prioritise applications from people in Syria, so they can join their spouses and relatives in the UK...

'... Christine Gilmore said her husband Ziad is stuck in Damascus in "absolutely dire" circumstances, and accused officials of actively leaving him in danger.

'Ms Gilmore, 33, met her 50-year-old husband in Damascus, where she spent a year as past of a masters degree in Arabic.

'After meeting in May 2010 the couple decide to marry, and underwent a marriage ceremony in Syria in October 2011, she said.

'But she claimed their attempts to get him a visa so he could join her in the UK and escape the dangers of Syria have failed, despite meeting income and English language requirements...'

'... Shafik Salih, 42, of east London, said he was suffering in the same situation, with an application for his Syrian fiancee Nesrin, 33, refused.

'The couple, who met on when Mr Salih was visiting Damascus in 2008, got engaged in December 2012 but a visa application for Nesrin was refused earlier this year and they are currently awaiting an appeal due to be heard in April 2014.

'Mr Salih said: "I talk to my fiancee every day on Skype, chat and phone. The electricity is available for short periods, the Internet connection is very bad.

'"My fiancee is ill and she needs medications. The security position is very dangerous up there and I am worried about her.

'"My fiancee is in a war zone in Syria. She is in real danger and needs urgent health care."

Christine :
https://twitter.com/chris8tine

Sign the petition :
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/UK_Government_Save_the_Family_Members_of_British_Citizens_Trapped_in_Syria/

Partners and families of British citizens in Syria

Readers will be familiar with the stories of Christine and Shafik. Christine's husband Ziad, and Shafik's fiancee Nusrin, are both in Syria - family migration rules are keeping them apart from their partners, and putting the lives of the partners of British citizens at risk.

BritCits supporter @salcardiff has prepared the following template letter for MPs, requesting urgent action on behalf of those affected.

Please consider writing to your MP. You can find your MP's contact details using this tool :
http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/
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Dear <salutation>,

I am a supporter of the BritCits group, formed in direct response to the attack on British citizens and residents with non-EEA family members.

Recently, BritCits has heard from a number of British citizens whose partner is stranded in Syria. We are aware that the effects of the family migration rules can be very heartbreaking and distressing for families separated by them, however these cases are particularly urgent as the very life of the partner of British citizens is in danger.

I am sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many families affected in this way given that there have been indications that in the last three years only two settlement visas have been issued to Syrians applying from Syria and more recently, Lebanon since the British embassy in Damascus was shut down.

Having a spouse in the UK means that the Syrian national in question has a home to go to with ties to the UK. I hope you will agree that it is imperative that such families especially be reunited and removed from what is universally agreed to be a dangerous and potentially fatal situation.

I am particularly concerned that where a couple has recently made an application and fail to meet the rules only due to the financial requirement, such an application will now be on hold while the Home Office considers whether it will appeal the recent decision of the MM & Ors vs. SSHD case by Justice Blake. For most couples affected in this way, this will be a particularly frustration time due to delays and uncertainty, but for those couples where one partner is caught up in the situation in Syria, the frustration becomes a matter of life and death.

There may also be cases where families originally from Syria but settled in the UK may have elderly dependent relatives in Syria. Such families will have no hope of bringing their parents here as the route for elderly dependents is now effectively closed and has been dubbed 'a ban masquerading as a rule'.

I plead with you to as a matter of urgency, assist Syrians with family ties to the UK to be brought out of danger and reunited with their loved ones.

Given that the UK could even consider military intervention, it would not be appropriate for the government to deny such a proposal with the dubious excuse of protecting the public purse.

Even in this day and age, there is and must remain, space for basic decency, humanity and respect not just for family life, but human life.

Yours sincerely,

Shafik and Nesrin

'In our case, the issue is not just a human rights issue, but it is a life issue.'

Previously we shared Christine's story, which has been covered in the press, concerning her husband Ziad who is trapped in Syria - his spousal visa refused on a technicality.

Now we share Shafik's story. Shafik's wife Nesrin is seriously ill, in need of medication which is running out, and also trapped in Syria - a country where the English schools are closed and the basic logistics of the postal service and the electricity supply are gravely disrupted.

Please share this widely.

'I first met Nesrin on 24th December 2008 in Damascus, while visiting Syria. We spent two days together visiting tourist sites in Damascus, and spent the New Year's Ever together with some of her friends. After coming back to the UK, we kept in contact with each other through regular phone calls and Internet chat. We had the opportunity to spend more time in Syria during 2010. During that holiday, we started to discuss the opportunity of establishing a relationship leading to marriage.

'Our discussion continued over our phone calls and Internet on a daily basis after my return to the UK. In April 2012, I visited her in Syria and was pleased to be a guest at her home where I spent a period of two weeks with her and her family. During this period, we decided to live forever as a wife and husband as our relationship had developed to a real live, and then we planned to be engaged by the end of 2012.

'In December 2012, I visited Syria through Lebanon and spent the whole holiday with her and her family. On 29th December 2012, we were formally engaged.

'Since coming back to the UK, we have been trying to arrange for her to travel to the UK for our marriage and for her to remain with me in the UK as my wife. The war in Syria broke out everywhere in the country and the British embassy in Damascus was already closed. Nesrin has to apply in Beirut for her visa; I could not send her original documents as the postal service in Syria stopped, therefore I sent her scanned documents. The schools recognised by the Home Office were closed in Syria; Nesrin travelled to Beirut to take the exam in a recognised school and passed the exam. She had to travel several times on the dangerous roads to Beirut.

'She applied in February 2013; the application was refused in March. The embassy stated four reasons for refusal :

1/ You failed to provide evidence that your sponsor (me) earns the minimum wage of £18,600.

'While her application enclosed a scanned letter from my employer showing my earnings that exceeds £18,600. In addition, I provided payslips for the last six months showing that clearly, and bank statements for enough savings.

2/ You have no evidence of the required accommodation which you are going to occupy.

'While we provided a letter from the local council showing I occupy a flat since eight years and based on the UK housing legistlation, it is enough for a couple.

3/ You did not provide evidence of regular contact and I am not convinced of your relationship.

'We provided many pictures of our formal engagement ceremony as well as pictures of the times we spent together. We used to contact mainly through Skype on a daily basis. I sent them emails, Skype conversations, and Facebook chats. Other evidence was sent too.

4/ You did not provide evidence of passing an English test... they asked for a language certificate.

'She passed the English test with good marks in a school listed by the Home Office as a recognised school. Nesrin asked the school to give her a certificate. They were surprised, and they told her that they do not give a certificate unless the student spends a few months studying in the school. The school told her that the give the same document to students and the document was accepted by the embassy. They confirmed that Nesrin was the FIRST one who complained about that.

'I sent the original documents and appealed against the decision in April 2013. In May the court sent me a pending appeal stating that they sent the application back to the embassy to review.

'I was told by my solicitor that the embassy is likely to refuse and the usual time for court will be at least 6 months, with an additional 3 months for the decision. So it will take almost one year from  now…..!!!! . I was devastated when I was told and got depressed but I did not tell my fiancée  because she is ill and I was very worried about her health if she knew the bad news.

'I read in the media that the Home Office has processed only two settlement visas for Syrians over the past 3 years in the same category we are applying for… this news caused me a lot of sadness.

'I talk to my fiancée every day on Skype, chat and phone. The electricity is available for short periods, the Internet connection is very bad in Syria, and so we barely can talk. My fiancée is ill and she needs medications. In Syria, there a shortage of medication and the medical services are poor. The security position is very dangerous up there and I am worried about her.

'My fiancée is in the war zone in Syria. She is in real danger and needs urgent health care.

'I am not convinced by any reasons the Home Office gave us. I think we satisfy all the requirements. I ask for a positive decision from the embassy.

'I think I do not need to explain about her dangerous situation in Syria and my devastating situation here in the UK.

'It is a basic human right to allow reunion of the family members.

'In our case, the issue is not just a human rights issue, but it is a life issue.'