Total number of spouse visas processed and refused by selected nationalities, 2016

Author : Steve

A while back I made this Freedom of Information request in response to an online discussion, as I was curious about numbers of rates of refusals for a balanced selection of different nationalities, including some of the most common countries for foreign spouses. The text of the request is here :

I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.

1. Total number of spouse visa applications processed for the following nationalities from January 1 2016 to 31 December 2016 : 
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United States

2. Total number of refusals for spouse visa applications processed for the following nationalities from January 1 2016 to 31 December 2016 : 
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United States

This was for a whole year, to even out anomalies such as local holidays. The response is in (see link above) and includes data per quarter, with information about applications made, processed, refused, withdrawn, and lapsed.

The table below shows the numbers of refusals divided by the number of applications over the whole year, followed by a percentage of refusals/applications. Note this comes with a few caveats, e.g. withdrawals and lapses are included in the total so don't assume that every visa not refused was processed; however the numbers for withdrawals and lapses are very low and wouldn't make much difference to the overall figures even if excluded. Note also that an application made in 2015 or 2016 may not be processed until 2016 or 2017.

These are included without comment as there is likely more than one reason for the differences. However the results are enlightening and seem to match the lived experience of both BritCits members and members of other online support groups and forums.

Country Refused/Total = Percentage (2016)
Japan 17/272 = 6.3%
Argentina 4/42 = 9.6%
Australia 93/881 = 10.6%
SouthAfrica 99/834 = 11.9%
Russia 70/582 = 12.0%
Canada 73/517 = 14.1%
USA 371/2544 = 14.6%
Brazil 76/480 = 15.8%
Mexico 28/175 = 16.0%
China 222/1071 = 20.7%
Israel 19/87 = 21.8%
Thailand 242/1094 = 22.1%
Turkey 176/787 = 22.4%
Egypt 102/338 = 30.2%
India 1236/3888 = 31.8%
Pakistan 3032/7472 = 40.6%
Nigeria 555/1131 = 49.1%

Note to the reader : You can make your own FOI request at whatdotheyknow.com, and I think an FOI request is something everybody should do at least once in their lives.

‘Under detention they think you’re criminal’


Source : Portsmouth News

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/under-detention-they-think-you-re-criminal-1-6355620

"If I’m deported there’s no chance of seeing my son. I left Nigeria 31 years ago – where on earth I going to stay? I don’t know anybody in Nigeria, my mum died in 2002, my dad died when I was four years old. What happens to my wife and who looks after my son? They call this justice – there is no justice in the Home Office. Detention is inhuman – I don’t know what to do."

Via Dinnae deport oor Arbroath Angie.

'Henry is being removed to Nigeria today.He hasn't been there for 31 yrs. He leaves behind his British wife & children.'


Via https://twitter.com/Heather_Jones5/status/517250357039476736

'Too many laws, not enough justice – voice from Haslar' - http://unlocked.org.uk/blog/too-many-laws-not-enough-justice-voice-from-haslar/

There's still time to submit a statement to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration's Detention Inquiry - http://detentionforum.org.uk/detention-inquiry-2/

Deadline today!

Lesbian asylum-seeker sentenced to death
https://www.allout.org/en/actions/aderonke

'Aderonke's family was killed and she was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death in Nigeria – because she's a lesbian. She fled to safety in the UK.

'Now, they're trying to send her back into danger. Aderonke, like dozens of other LGBT asylum-seekers, is stuck in a process that the UK government has already admitted humiliates and abuses them. It doesn't work or protect anyone.

'But, if thousands of us speak out right now, we could get the Home Office to take the next step and halt the deportations. Will you sign the petition to Home Office Secretary Theresa May now?'

Ed & Anya

“I will exercise my treaty rights in order to live with my wife – a right denied to me by my own government.”

Ed is a British citizen from Scotland, married to Anya, from Russia. They met in their early twenties while studying at Edinburgh University in 2004, when they were both selected for a student-run charity project helping a community in Manzini, Swaziland, build a soup kitchen. Not unlike many international couples, their love was kindled in a shared experience of travel and living away from home which has continued ever since.

They lived together back in Scotland, finding employment near Edinburgh after graduation in 2007. Before long, a job opportunity for Anya took them on more overseas adventures to Azerbaijan and then Nigeria. Juggling individual visa restrictions gave them their first experience of forced separation and relationship-by-Skype: traumatic, tiring and unsustainable for more than a short time.

Luckily, Anya's job in microfinance also gave them the chance to save enough money to fulfil a dream they'd both had since before they even met: a longdistance bicycle ride.

In May 2010 a group of friends and family cycled with Ed and Anya to the boundary of their hometown in Scotland, waving the pair off on a journey that would last over a year. They explored Scotland's border uplands, west coast and islands, before heading to France. They followed rivers and canals to Switzerland and pedalled to over 2000 metres of altitude to cross the Alps into Italy.

Facing the expiry of a Schengen visa, they took a cargo ship to Turkey, which marked the beginning of an Eastern world of hospitality, history, food and natural beauty unlike anywhere else.

Their route along the Mediterranean coast took them into then-peaceful Syria and on to Lebanon, and then back into Syria, where they overwintered in a desert monastery near Damascus, working in return for food, board, and the nourishment of community. In early 2011 they set off across the Syrian desert, crossing back into Turkey just before the start of protests in Syria. Reaching the Black Sea, they steered right and continued into Georgia and Azerbaijan, finally ending their journey at the Caspian Sea in June 2011.

With her last UK visa long expired, Anya had to return to Russia; unable to get a Russian visa away from home, Ed returned to Scotland. Ironically, it was only by staying on the road through 11 different countries that the two managed to avoid separation for so long. But now they had no choice.

They decided to make Russia their home for a while; Ed wanted to learn the language, and Anya wanted to be near her family. Already trained as an EFL teacher, in winter 2011 Ed landed a great job in Moscow which also gave him time to study Russian and pursue other work opportunities although he now is a self-employed copy editor now. Anya worked at the British Embassy before leaving it to write for an English-language newspaper and take some distance-learning courses from SOAS in London. After the constant uncertainties of the bicycle tour, settled life in the big city held appeal - for a while.

Russian bureaucracy is infamously slow and labyrinthine, but the pair knew there would be benefits if they got married: Ed could apply for temporary residency in Russia and so no longer be tied to any particular employer. They also naturally assumed that being married would make returning to the UK pretty straightforward when the time came. After all, if you're married, you're family - right?

So the process of gaining temporary residency started with Ed and Anya's wedding in August 2012.

The day itself was pure fun. The newlyweds rode bicycles from the registry office to the reception and danced the night away to ragtime and swing, surrounded by their new families. But despite a materially comfortable life and supportive family nearby, life in Moscow started to take its toll. It seemed a metropolis worn down by social inequality, ingrained distrust, and an entrenched car culture.

Anya and Ed missed their friends and family back in the UK, and longed to live a more outdoor life again.

While looking at the procedure for returning to the UK, they heard about Theresa May's new familyimmigration rules, which effectively prohibit them from returning directly. How does the state have the right to do this? Isn't it a citizen's right to marry whomever they choose and live in their own country?

Ed finally gained temporary residency in Russia in July 2013. But by this time, he and Anya realised their best option was to take the Surinder Singh route, probably via Ireland, in autumn or winter 2013.

Exercising treaty rights is something they can do as they don’t have careers in the UK which would be disrupted, and no children to have to look after.

They are looking forward to the adventure of the next half year, while remaining anxious to get it over with; they worry that the route will rapidly become more difficult, with more applications being rejected by the UKBA on spurious grounds in order to force appeals and test the law.

However, Ed remains positive and feels lucky to be able to exercise rights afforded to him by the EU – rights to a family life denied to him by his own government.

More stories like this : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/stories

A video on exercising Surinder Singh rights : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-v0cV2Y8E

The case of Isa Muazu : A study in barbarism.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/matt-carr/isa-muazu-deportation-theresa-may_b_4369125.html

Free Isa Muazu now :
https://twitter.com/FreeIsaMuazuNow

Botched Isa Muazu deportation opens door to judicial review :
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2013/12/05/isa-muazu-wins-stay-of-removal

Guardian | 'Hiring a private jet to get a dying man out of the country looks like the immigration equivalent of a show trial by Theresa May' :
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/03/isa-muaza-deportation-immigration-inhumane-power-theresa-may

Sunday evening links

Useful for those from Northern Ireland.

'Dear Home Office,

'I have searched on the Home Office website and have not found the information that I require. Therefore, I would request that this information be released under FOI.

'Please advise how an Irish passport holder, born in Northern Ireland but not holding a British passport, is viewed by the British government? Is this person automatically viewed as holding British Citizenship, regardless of whether he/she (under the Good Friday Agreement) view him/herself as exclusively Irish and does not hold a British passport?'

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/irish_nationals_from_northern_ir
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Previously :
British citizen forced to choose: your country or your family.

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/british-citizen-forced-to-choose-your.html

A British citizen has been forced to renounce his birthright - his British citizenship - to be with his loved ones.

He is a Northern Ireland resident, which entitles him to Irish citizenship. Obtaining an Irish passport and going through the process of renouncing British citizenship - which he has held all his life - has allowed him to become a non-UK, EU national in the country of his birth. This has allowed him to live with his wife.
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'We're a family not a case number'.

http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/%E2%80%98we%E2%80%99re-family-not-case-number%E2%80%99

'Debbie Catwell is a British citizen. Her father served in the British Army for 23 years.

'Her husband, Robin, is from Barbados, the couple have been together for 20 years and have four children. The youngest is 8 years old.

'They live in Barbados, but kept links to the UK. In 2011, the Catwells’ decided to move back for the children’s education.

'Debbie said: “Initially, we didn't apply for a spousal visa. Robin came and went as a visitor as he owns his business in Barbados.

'“But when he came back in October 2012 he was asked about his frequent visits. He explained to them he had children and a spouse here. He was given one week in the country and told to go back to Barbados and apply for a spousal visa from there.”

'The family applied in December of that year, but were turned down as Debbie, who became a stay-at-home mother after her six-year-old daughter died of cancer, does not come into the £18,600 threshold.

'Debbie said: “Robin does not have even as much as parking ticket, so we thought it was an open and shut case. I was shocked when he told me we had been refused.

'“We appealed that refusal and we were promised an answer by July this year – but there is no news till yet.”

'As Robin cannot come to the UK until he gets his spousal visa, the family have been separated, which is having a “devastating” impact on their children, particularly their behaviour and schoolwork, said Debbie.

Reunite the Forde-Catwell family :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-mother-whose-husband-was-forced-to.html

Facebook campaign :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/440521456017147/

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The Voice | Immigration policy unfairly targetting the Commonwealth?

http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/immigration-policy-unfairly-targeting-commonwealth

'Until the end of 2012, parents and grandparents of UK citizens were able to migrate after the age of 65. They can now only join their loved-ones if they “need long-term personal care to perform everyday tasks, such as washing and cooking,” that is not available in the country where they live.

'Additionally, the UK sponsor has to agree to maintain, care and accommodate them without using public funds, such as benefits.

'And to have a non-EU spouse join you in the UK, you have to earn an annual salary of £18,600. This rises to £22,400 for families with a child and a further £2,400 for each extra child.

'During a parliamentary debate last month MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott, rebuked the Government’s attack on immigration.

'She said:  “It is...not true, as some people seek to imply, that immigrants cause low wages. That has been the anti-immigration attack since the 19th century. Immigrants do not cause low wages; predatory employers, insufficient workplace protection and weakened trade unions do that.”
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Theresa May under fire for bid to fly out hunger striker Ifa Muaza.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/30/theresa-may-hunger-striker-ifa-muaza-asylum-uk

'Private plane carrying 'near to death' asylum seeker forced back to UK.

'Home Office officials were refusing to comment on Saturday evening on an apparently botched effort to deport a seriously ill man from Britain by private plane. A jet chartered by the government was forced to return to the UK with Nigerian Ifa Muaza and immigration officials still on board, after a 20-hour flight that saw the plane prevented from entering Nigerian airspace. It diverted to Malta, where an angry dispute broke out with the authorities over the plane's right to use its airstrip.'
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Petition | RELEASE ISA MUAZU NOW - Don't let Isa die in detention!: Release Isa from Harmondsworth IRC immediately.

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/release-isa-muazu-now-don-t-let-isa-die-in-detention-release-isa-from-harmondsworth-irc-immediately

Posts about Isa Muazu :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/isa%20muazu

British woman forced to live alone because husband cannot move to UK.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2514986/British-woman-forced-live-Ecuadorian-husband-UK.html

A British woman is being forced to bring up her daughter alone after her medic husband was denied permission to join her in the UK.

Elizabeth Celi Parr met Ramiro Alexander Celi Moreno in his native Ecuador - the couple have been married for two years and had their first child, Olivia, 21 months ago.

But despite his medical training, he has been banned from moving to Britain because the Home Office says the family does not earn enough to support itself.

Lizzie : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/lizzie

Bye bye Papa : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN6vuL8vrhg

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Air Charter Scotland (@AirCharterScot): Refuse to deport a dying man #IsaMuazu.

https://www.change.org/petitions/air-charter-scotland-aircharterscot-refuse-to-deport-a-dying-man-isamuazu

Isa Muazu is a Nigerian asylum seeker on hunger strike in Harmondsworth detention centre. He is set to be deported tomorrow morning on an Air Charter Scotland plane.

He refused to eat because he said his asylum claim has not been dealt with properly. He did not have access to good legal counsel when he first submitted his claim.

He has been on hunger strike for 90 days. He is now in a critical condition and weighs just 50 kilograms. Before his hunger strike he was surviving on cornflakes because no other food at the centre was suitable because of pre-existing medical conditions.

He is no longer able to see or stand.

Muazu is fearful of returning because he is being targeted by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, who have already reportedly killed several members of his family.

Politics.co.uk | As I write this, Isa Muazu fades away. :
http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2013/11/21/comment-as-i-write-this-isa-muazu-fades-away

Afghan veteran threatened with deportation allowed to stay.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10453629/Afghan-veteran-threatened-with-deportation-allowed-to-stay.html

 'A Fijian soldier threatened with deportation after twice fighting for Britain in Afghanistan has been allowed to stay after the Home Secretary intervened personally on his behalf.

'Filimone Lacanivalu, who has served in the Armed Forces for nine years, was due to be flown back to Fiji on Sunday night but following a personal review of his case by Theresa May and Mark Harper, the immigration minister, he has been granted permission to remain.

'Mr Lacanivalu, 34, has been detained for the past month at an immigration centre near Heathrow Airport after he went to see officials at a Home Office centre in Croydon, south London, to clear up his residency status. '
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MP in last ditch bid to halt Vietnam veteran's deportation.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/mp-last-ditch-bid-halt-2640872

'AN MP has demanded to see the Immigration Minister in a last-ditch attempt to stop a Vietnam veteran from being kicked out of Scotland.

'Jim Hood wants the decision to deport pensioner Marx Hirsch, who has lived here for 47 years, to be reversed.

'He hopes to plead the former navy petty officer’s case with minister Mark Harper on Monday – just
24 hours before Marx, 74, fears border agents will turn up at his door in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, and march him off to the airport. '
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Home Office issues 'end of life plan' to hunger-striking asylum seeker.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/16/end-of-life-plan-hunger-striker

Decision to keep mentally ill Nigerian man in immigration detention centre seen as part of hardline approach by ministers.

"I was afraid, but now I am a skeleton and almost dead.

"There is so little of me left and I am not afraid. But they – the authorities – have not treated me as a human being and that is wrong."

Nigerian husband of pregnant Brit denied visa

The Home Office has appealed against the decision to let the Nigerian husband of a pregnant British woman remain in the UK.

The appeal follows the reversal of the decision to refuse her husband a spouse visa by a First Tier judge.

However, the Home Office believes the judge made an error of law by taking into account the best interests of their unborn child.

When British national Becky, 23, met her Nigerian husband-to-be in the UK in December 2010, she had no idea of the hurdles which would lie ahead when the time would come to establish family life together in the UK.

Uzo, Becky’s 33-year-old Nigerian partner, arrived in the UK as a visitor. His subsequent enrollment in the British Army as a trainee combat engineer allowed him to extend his visa more than once, with a view to applying for a two-year work visa at the end of his training. 

But Uzo turned 32 – the cut-off point for applying to join the army – before he could complete his training.

In May 2012, Becky and Uzo got married, and Uzo applied for Further Leave to Remain based on his marriage a month later. His application was made just before significant amendments to the UK’s family migration rules came into force.  

The new rules, introduced in July 2012 and the cause of much anguish among couples such as Becky and Uzo, require British nationals to have an annual income of GBP 18,600 in order to sponsor a non-EEA spouse to settle in the UK.

After a 10-month wait, Uzo was refused a visa on the grounds he had taken the wrong English language exam and that his visa at the time of application was valid for less than six months. The fact Uzo had been in the UK legally for two years prior to application was not considered. 

The couple lodged an appeal against the refusal since they had no way of successfully reapplying under the new rules due to Becky, who was a fine art student in Liverpool at the time, not being able to meet the income requirements.  

A few weeks after giving notice of appeal Becky discovered she was pregnant. “Although we knew our situation wasn't the best to bring a child into, we could not consider an abortion as this was not a decision we should feel forced into because of the immigration laws, and we hoped that our appeal would be successful before our baby was born,” said Becky.

At 25 weeks pregnant, their case was heard and two weeks later, the appeal was allowed under Article 8 due to the best interests of their child. “We breathed the hugest sigh of relief”, said Becky.

But the relief didn’t last long. Four days after the allowed time limit for giving notice of appeal, the Home Office appealed the decision based on the notion the First Tier judge had made an error of law by taking into consideration the best interests of the couple’s unborn child.

Despite the lateness of the application, which the couple later discovered was due to the case officer being on sick leave, the appeal was allowed.

The process has taken its toll on Becky’s heath and well-being, “I have became so distressed and ill with the thought that we have to continue this fight,” said Becky. “At a time when it is of the utmost importance for a woman to be looking after her health, I am experiencing panic attacks, my blood pressure has shot up and I can not sleep,” she added.

The couple has since discovered their baby has a kidney problem and possibly a chromosomal disorder.

With just two weeks to go until the Upper Tier Tribunal hearing, at which time Becky will be 37 weeks pregnant, Becky and Uzo are bracing themselves for the possibility of a ruling which will require Becky to move to Nigeria should she wish to enjoy family life with her husband. “Why should I leave my entire support system, culture and family behind?” asked Becky.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel to Abia, the southeastern Nigerian state where Uzo comes from.

“We just don't know what our future holds right now,” said Becky. “My husband wants nothing more than the right to work and support his pregnant wife and future son, and to pay taxes and contribute to UK society,” she added.

The immigration rules make no concessions in cases which involve children. Applicants who are parent to a British child must endure the same five-year route to settlement as other applicants, regardless of the length of the couple’s relationship. 

Successful spouse visa applicants are given the right to work but have no access to benefits during the probationary period, during which time the couple must demonstrate they can meet the financial requirements a further two times.

Pregnant British woman faces exile to Nigeria

http://immigrationinsight.co.uk/2013/11/11/pregnant-british-woman-faces-deportation-to-nigeria/

'A pregnant British woman from Liverpool is facing effective deportation to Nigeria under harsh new family migration laws.

'Becky, 23, met her Nigerian husband Uzo, 33, in a Liverpool club when she was a fine art student at Wirral Metropolitan College and working part-time in a garden centre.

'Uzo had originally come to the UK to visit his aunt, but decided to stay and join the British Army as an engineering pioneer.

'The pair married in May 2012 and applied for Uzo’s spouse visa as his job with the army ended, but they were refused due to two mistakes on the application...'

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.

Court rejects UK gov attempt to send transplant patient to her death.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/clare-sambrook/court-rejects-uk-gov-attempt-to-send-transplant-patient-to-her-death

In London today judges rejected an appeal by Home Secretary Theresa May to deport a kidney-transplant patient to certain death in Nigeria. May had sought to overturn decisions by two judges permitting Roseline Akhalu stay in the UK.
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Victory for Rose in Immigration Appeal Court!

http://saverose.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/victory-for-rose-in-immigration-appeal-court/

“We are overjoyed with today’s judgment. Roseline has had to endure months of needless worry and anxiety because of this groundless and expensive appeal by the Home Secretary, which has aggravated Rose’s fragile health condition. We really hope that the Home Office now has the sense to admit defeat so that Rose can get on with her life and continue contributing to her community as she has been doing for so many years.”

Previously :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-trials-of-roseline-akhalu-httpwww.html

Shame on you, Theresa May.

https://twitter.com/compassion4rose

Roseline Akhalu's hearing at the Upper Tribunal

http://vimeo.com/70659555

Facebook support group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/315098168561449/?hc_location=stream

https://twitter.com/compassion4rose

Previous post : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-trials-of-roseline-akhalu-httpwww.html

'Why is the Home Office continuing this cruel and ludicrous campaign? It seems the department is concerned about growing case law that would facilitate health tourism. Under the present laws it is acceptable to deport someone even if they’ll become terminally ill on arrival in a new country, and this is why Rose’s case has been argued under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights: a right to a private and family life.  But this is an exceptional case: is the fight against case law really worth a human being’s life, not to mention the massive legal cost? And as representatives from the National Kidney Foundation have said, donors would think their efforts were a waste of time if a recipient was allowed to die.'

Douglas 

Douglas grew up in England and has worked and paid tax for the last thirty years. He is caught in a battle with the UKBA to obtain a visa for his wife and two children who are currently residing in Lagos, Nigeria. 

 Douglas is facing complications in proving his salary as he is self-employed. Due to this complicated process, Douglas feels he has been denied the right to bond with this 2 month old son; since his birth he has only seen him for a period of 10 days. 

In the words of Douglas “I will never be able to get these moments back, such as missing his first smile.” This separation affects the wider family, not just Douglas. His parents are elderly are therefore incapable of making the journey to Lagos, and have therefore they yet to meet their new grandson.

In addition to the emotional distress the 9th July changes are causing Douglas and his family it is has put a strain on his finances. The only opportunity he has to see his family is by traveling to Nigeria, as his wife and children are not eligible for a visit visa as the UKBA believe they could overstay their visa. Therefore, he has to fly to Nigeria at his own expense in order to see his family. 

On top of the flights Douglas must also pay the $125.00 for a Nigerian visa. Douglas is sending money to his wife as she is caring for their infant child and consequently unable to work. Additional expenses involve private health care, as Nigeria does not have a national health care system. 

  Douglas is in the position of having to financially support two households as opposed to one if his wife and children were allowed to join him in the UK. In order to afford this Douglas has rented out the rooms in his home and is currently sleeping on the sofa bed in his living room. Douglas feels this is absurd. If he were allowed his right to family life, his income would be spent in the UK, therefore making a greater contribution to the economy.

According to Douglas, the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) denied his family from entering the UK as “nothing is stopping Douglas from living and working in Lagos”. However Douglas believes this officer neglected to take enough time to review Douglas's situation, as he also has a son from a previous marriage, therefore relocating to Lagos is not an option as it would require Douglas abandoning his son in the UK. 

  Douglas states, “How long does the UK government think I can continue to send money to Nigeria or do they prefer me to abandon my wife and sons?”  

The trials of Roseline Akhalu

http://www.newstatesman.com/alan-white/2013/01/trials-roseline-akhalu

'Why is the Home Office continuing this cruel and ludicrous campaign? It seems the department is concerned about growing case law that would facilitate health tourism. Under the present laws it is acceptable to deport someone even if they’ll become terminally ill on arrival in a new country, and this is why Rose’s case has been argued under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights: a right to a private and family life.  But this is an exceptional case: is the fight against case law really worth a human being’s life, not to mention the massive legal cost? And as representatives from the National Kidney Foundation have said, donors would think their efforts were a waste of time if a recipient was allowed to die.'

A great piece on an appalling case - the Home Office seems determined to send a human being to her death, stalking her through the courts.

Thanks to https://twitter.com/aljwhite for raising this.

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Graduate with kidney failure at risk of deportation to Nigeria :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2013/jan/12/graduate-kidney-failure-risk-deported-nigeria-video?CMP=twt_gu

'Roseline Akhalu, a university graduate from Nigeria, was diagnosed with kidney failure a few months after arriving in the UK in 2004. After a successful transplant, the UK Border Agency rejected her claim to remain in the UK, but if sent back to Nigeria she will be unable to afford the life-saving drugs she needs.'

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https://twitter.com/DanRebellato tweets: 'Seriously, what the hell? How can this possibly be justified? This is murder by the British state. http://bit.ly/XAEjEa '
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Roseline Akhalu's support page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/315098168561449/?ref=ts&fref=ts

We recommend you join and show your support.

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Out of sight, out of mind: The heartlessness of the Home Secretary:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/michael-allen/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-_2_b_2228818.html

The case of Roseline and the cases of families broken up by the new, draconian rules (background here : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html ), as well as those of London Metropolitan students facing effective deportation ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19419395 ) are interlinked and expose the true inhumanity of the implementation of the system.

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A petition in support of Roseline. Please sign!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-deportation-of-transplant-patient-roseline-ak.html

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In the context of this case, it is also worthwhile reading this report from the Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, from November :
http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/the-independent-chief-inspector-publishes-a-report-on-the-uk-border-agencys-handling-of-legacy-asylum-and-migration-cases/

'Inefficiency, poor customer service and a lack of security and data checks were identified as key failings in the way the UK Border Agency’s dealt with the legacy of unresolved asylum cases. The findings were published in the Independent Chief Inspector’s report on the handling of legacy asylum and migration cases. The Chief Inspector also raised concerns that his findings did not correlate with the information that was provided by the Agency to Parliament.'

[...]
 
'The flawed implementation of a policy change in July 2011, coupled with poor customer service, adversely affected a number of applicants. It led to lengthy and distressing delays for affected asylum applicants, including former unaccompanied asylum seeking children, whose cases should have been dealt with in a timely fashion.'

'Such was the inefficiency of this operation that at one point over 150 boxes of post, including correspondence from applicants, MPs and their legal representatives lay unopened in a room in Liverpool.'