"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.

Saturday 26 October 2013

Minimum wage visa rules keep man and wife apart.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-24676361

The 45-year-old had not seen his wife Dee for a year, until a recent reunion at Gatwick airport.

But it was not a happy meeting - she was refused entry to the UK by immigration officials and was detained for two days in a removal centre.

"I never want to have to do that again - tell my wife that she's not allowed to come and see me," he told the BBC Wales Eye on Wales programme.


http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/british-citizen-davids-canadian-wife.html
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/update-on-david-and-dee-previously.html
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/dee

You can hear audio of an interview with David here : https://sites.google.com/site/britcitsbackoffice/mp3/BBC_RW_1.mp3

4 comments:

  1. It is not particularly surprising they refused her entry given the circumstances. I would suggest to have any chance of a visitir visa you would have to apply for one

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    1. Canadians don't need visitor visas to enter the UK... the plan was that she would come for a short visit, i.e. a holiday. How would she apply for a visitor visa, and who knows what black hole of bureaucracy the application would fall into? As is clear from the article, their long term plans involve LEAVING the UK, partly because it's just impossible for them, partly because of the way they've been treated here.

      This is an appalling way to treat people. The rules are banned to failure.

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  2. I should also point out that David's and Dee's predicament comes while their case is on hold INDEFINITELY. The courts have already found the income rules 'disproportionate and unjustified' per http://www.freemovement.org.uk/2013/07/05/high-court-finds-minimum-income-rules-disproportionate-and-unjustified/ , yet the government says it will appeal. There is -no time limit- for the government to do this, so they have left couples like David and Dee in limbo. This could go on for years.

    It is unconscionable for the government to tell them in the meantime to 'suck it up and see', with no certainty on what will happen. It's a game they are playing with people's lives, and it's a horrible legacy for them to have.

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  3. There is nothing in the rules that prevent a non-visa national (such as Canadians) applying for a visit visa. You are right that genuine visitors do not need visit visas, but in complicated immigration cases (such as this one), it is advisable to apply. Isn't it better to know whether you'll be granted entry before setting off on a long journey than leaving it to chance at passport control?

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