"I have never welcomed the weakening of family ties by politics or pressure" - Nelson Mandela.
"He who travels for love finds a thousand miles no longer than one" - Japanese proverb.
"Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." - Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
"When people's love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change". -
David Cameron.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Mark & Mercy

“I don’t earn £18,600 but I own two properties outright. Yet I don’t qualify to have my wife with me.”

Mark is a British citizen. He was born in Surrey, is from Liverpool and was raised in South Africa.

Although retired now, Mark vividly remembers his days in the Royal Air Force, when he risked his life for British citizens.

Mercy, Mark’s wife is a citizen of Nigeria. She similarly has a fairly diverse background. She grew up in Sierra Leone, left it because of the civil war and moved to Dakar in Senegal. Through her work in Senegal, Mercy gained the experience necessary to become a fashion designer. Mercy also speaks six languages.

Mark and Mercy met online through friends in 2011. They stayed in touch and April 2013 saw them getting married in a beautiful ceremony in Senegal.


Mark does not earn £18,600. Not many pensioners do.

Mark does however own two properties outright in Liverpool, which the Home Office does not consider in assessing Mark’s financial position for the sponsorship of his wife. Properties which mean Mark himself has no recourse to public funds.


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