Cotgrave mum-to-be faces giving birth alone after Tunisian husband denied UK visa

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Don-t-make-birth-daughter/story-20248026-detail/story.html#ixzz2mLeFiqHo

'A mum-to-be faces giving birth without her husband by her side after he was refused a UK visa.

'Amy Jelassi and her Tunisian husband, Wassim, are unable to be together because the Home Office rejected his application.

'They became a couple after a holiday romance in Tunisia in September 2010.

'Since then, Amy has visited the North African country three or four times a year and the pair marked their first wedding anniversary yesterday...'

Amy's story :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/dont-make-me-give-birth-to-our-daughter.html

Facebook campaign - 'Don't make me give birth to our daughter alone' :
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-make-me-give-birth-to-our-daughter-alone/1379993632244925

Norah says :
Does this look fake to you! I love my husband and he loves me. Alhamdulillah!

Norah in her local paper :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/britcits-supporter-norah-in-her-local.html
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Lowering the minimum income threshold is not enough.

http://heypreston.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/lowering-the-minimum-income-threshold-is-not-enough

'I’ve been hearing rumours lately from multiple sources that the government is expected to lower the minimum income threshold required for a British citizen to sponsor their non-EEA spouse to join them in the United Kingdom. If you’re not already aware of the new requirements, introduced in July 2012, and the effects they are having on British citizens, please check out the Brit Cits blog here. The current income threshold stands at £18,600 and rises for couples with dependent children, which is a figure well above national minimum wage and means that in 2012, 47% of the British working population would not have been able to reside with their spouse in the U.K if that spouse was a national from a country outside the EEA. In other words, the government have prevented 47% of the British working population from marrying a ‘foreigner’ if they wish to stay in the U.K...'

Rachel and Ahmed : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-distraught-wadebridge-woman-is.html

Don't make me give birth to our daughter alone : Amy's story

Facebook campaign :
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-make-me-give-birth-to-our-daughter-alone/1379993632244925

'My name is Amy Jelassi. I am 33 weeks' pregnant, expecting our baby daughter on the 30th December 2013.

'My husband's court hearing for a family visit visa is the 30th January 2014. I would just like the court date to be sooner so that my husband can be with me to support me through the birth of our daughter. That is all that I'm asking for.

'Please give us the chance to do what any other family can do - easily!!!

'This should be a right for any family. We are a married couple who are expecting our first child. I am a BRITISH woman married to a Tunisian man. I don't see why it should be a problem for my husband to be allowed on a family visit visa.

'A visa that will let him see the birth of his daughter. Just like any other father!

'It's devastating and heartbreaking for us to be going through this, and we are hoping someone can hear us out there. And that we can stop being judged, or categorised, as not genuine, or overstayers.

'Everyone deserves a chance. This is happening to me and to many other families because of new immigration rules and regulations.

'It's sickening. It's so stressful for a pregnant woman like me!'

BritCits supporter Norah in her local paper

“I work six days a week, I still have to support my two youngest children. What more can I do?
“I’m a hard worker, I work to support my family and have always worked – I’ve never relied on benefits.” 
 
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10624802.Eastbourne_bride_kept_apart_from_husband_by_visa_red_tape/

'A Downham family-of-six says it has been ripped apart by new immigration laws preventing the father from meeting his newborn daughter.

'Despite having lived in the UK for 12 years, Albanian-born Edmond Danushi is currently stuck in his home country while his devastated family beg authorities to allow him home.'

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/10623674.Downham_father_of_four_unable_to_return_to_UK_and_has_only_seen_his_youngest_on_Skype/
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Eastbourne bride kept apart from husband by visa red tape.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10624802.Eastbourne_bride_kept_apart_from_husband_by_visa_red_tape/

'Norah Stewart, of New Langney Court, Eastbourne, met her husband, Mouhamed Moulahi, in Tunisia in May 2010 and the couple were married in a religious ceremony in January 2011.

'She said: “I work six days a week, I still have to support my two youngest children. What more can I do?

' “I’m a hard worker, I work to support my family and have always worked – I’ve never relied on benefits.” '
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Tom and Olya's story.

http://familyimmigrationalliance.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/tom-olyas-story/

'... Article 8 European Convention on Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

'I would argue that this is currently not being honoured in our situation.

'My question is this: where would you go from here? What would you do in our situation and who’s emails would you track down or try to convince? Would you be as frustrated and confused as we are?'
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Middlesex University briefing: The fiscal implications of new Family Migration Rules: What does the evidence tell us?

http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/files/news/Family_migration_costs_briefing-9-7-2013.pdf

... as this briefing will show the Government’s own dat a suggests that non-EEA partners, who have the right to work in the UK but not claim most benefits , were never a burden on the welfare state. Evidence in fact suggests that, by preventing up to 17,800 migrant partners from coming to the UK every year , the newincome requirement may be costing the public purse rather than saving it money.
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'They want to take my wife but I will not let that happen'.

http://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/10608526.__39_They_want_to_take_my_wife_but_I_will_not_let_that_happen__39_/?ref=twtrec

The Tycroes pensioners who face being ripped apart by immigration services after 10 years of marriage have received the news they most dreaded. 
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The government is trying to gag Hope Not Hate.

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/gagging-hope-not-hate/

'By design or default this Bill will severely restrict the ability of organisations like HOPE not hate to function and combat fascism, racism and other forms of extremism. It is nothing more than a Gagging Bill, limiting democracy, political involvement and criticism. At a time when trust in political parties and politicians is at an all-time low we need to increase involvement and participation in the democratic process rather than limiting it.'

The new Lobbying Bill will criminalise even basic campaigning by Trade Unions :
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/08/19/the-new-lobbying-bill-will-criminalise-even-basic-campaigning-by-trade-unions/

Hayley

Hayley tells her story in her own words. Her Facebook campaign - 'Married and living apart due to UKBA's current unrealistic requirements' - is here : https://www.facebook.com/keptapartbyunrealisticrequirements?ref=hl

'In April 2011 I went to start my summer season working in Tunisia as an entertainer where I first met my (now) husband.

'From when we first met, all summer long, we were inseparable. We spent all day, every day, in each other's company. In the winter my contract ended to I travelled back to the UK.

'Both of us were heartbroken. I soon booked two separate trips to ensure we would spend time in person together, over the winter, and not just though a computer screen on Skype. I travelled out in January to meet his family; and again in March for my birthday, so we could spend it together. I then returned for a second season in Tunisia for summer 2012.

'It was like I had never left. We were inseparable. At the end of the season I decided that I wanted to end my career as an entertainer. I wanted to get married, settle down, pursue a new career in the UK.

'I returned to the UK. Both of us were heartbroken. Within days of being home I booked my return journeys for January and April.

'We still remained as close as ever. Every day we would share jokes, laugh, share our days with each other through Skype. In June 2013 we got married - an amazing day!! All the preparing and sorting out a wedding a thousand miles apart was so stressful - but it really was the best day of our lives!  Like any other couple we were looking forward to planning, dreaming, and building our future together as husband and wife.

'Unfortunately, due to the new income requirement, we are still having to live apart. 

 

'Most newlyweds can start their new lives together. But instead we have to look at each other through a computer screen a thousand miles apart. The current law is making it simply impossible to be together. 

 

'I may not earn £18,600 - but I know can support my spouse without any aid from the state. I work full time, I live in a large family-owned property, and all of my family work and support each other.  

 

'The income requirement is unjustified and unrealistic and needs to change. Having a requirement half the population could never meet is ridicuous, outrageous. This is affecting not just me and my husband, but many other couples and families - forced to live apart. What kind of a government does this to its own people!

Family life is a right not a privilege - Facebook campaign

https://www.facebook.com/FamilyLifeIsARightNotAPrivilege

'Hello my name is Natalie Gharbi this is my page and here is my story...

'In December 2011 I met my husband. We spent my 2 weeks holiday together, even meeting his family and when I arrived home we talked everyday. We had an instant connection.

'I later went on to book a holiday and spent one week - just me and him and got to know each other further. After this I had my final interview with my employer - a travel agent - and went to Palma Nova for a week of training in April 2012

'After this I flew to Tunisia to work my summer. During this time i fell pregnant unexpectedly but we were both really happy. Due to illness i had to cut my summer short, returning in september.

'I gave birth to our daughter in January. He was unable to be by my side and he missed the first 10 weeks of her life.

'We spent 5 weeks as a family and we got married in April 2013. I am now back home working Monday to Friday with my daughter in full time nursery.

'I do not meet the income requirements as I earn just over minimum wage and my salary is just under 13k a year. This is causing me lot of stress as I can't work back in tunisia as I worked over 50 hours starting 9-9 some days. I worked 5.5days a week and this would mean no time as a family. The only real jobs in Tunisia are summer with tour operators and the hours are very long. And here in the UK I am stopped by the visa rules..

'This is causing a lot of stress and strain on our marriage. My daughter 25 weeks thinks my laptop and phone is where Daddy is. We will not be traveling to see him until August 31st for 2 weeks due to work.'

‘Immigration rules are destroying my family’

'A new mum who claims who claims that her family has been torn apart by immigration rules is set to take her fight to Westminster.

'Shelley Hornby-Baaouani, 28 who lives in Great Denham married her husband Walid in Tunisia in December last year, two months before their son Rayen was born.

'But Walid has missed his first son’s birth, and big chunks of his early life, after problems calculating Shelley’s salary, as a result of new Home Office rules, have meant that the application will not be reviewed again until October.

'And even though the salary comes to over the required £18,600 a year Shelley claims that immigration officials unfairly calculated it by her lowest pay slip and multiplied that by twelve months.

'The mum, who works at Luton International Airport, said: “How much of this child’s life has he got to miss just so this government can prove a point.

“I just don’t think it’s fair that someone in the government can decide whether I can have my husband and if my child can have his father here.”

More : http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/immigration-rules-are-destroying-my-family-1-5226500

The UKBA are destroying my family, Facebook support group :
https://www.facebook.com/TheUkbaAreDestroyingMyFamily

Sandra

“In order to be with my husband I need to move to Tunisia or elsewhere in Europe..I don’t understand why I can’t live in my home, with my husband..why must I be forced out just to live with the man I have married?!!”

British citizen Sandra and her husband, Ahmed, have been fighting to have the right to live together in the UK since December 2011. Ahmed lives in Tunisia and Sandra in England.

UKBA delays and decisions have been playing havoc with their lives. They initially waited three months for an answer on their visa application. Ahmed went to the embassy and they told him they didn’t know anything about his application following which they spent three hours looking for his paper work. This was followed by a refusal letter.

They have been to solicitors who said they cannot help Sandra unless she gets a disability or carer’s allowance. So she effectively being encouraged to go on benefits to live with her husband.

They don't know what to do and are badly in need of help. They have been married for two years and the only way they get to see each other is if Sandra travels to Tunisia, which is putting her under a lot of stress and as a result of all this heartache, she has now fallen ill.

The excuses that UKBA has given for the refusal are ridiculous. First they said Ahmed’s English wasn’t up to standard; however he has an English diploma and has passed all the required tests. Then they said that Sandra wasn’t earning enough.

Sandra and Ahmed are at their wits' end.

All they want is to live their lives together.

Sandra

“This used to be a great country but the government’s attitude to British people make us second class citizens."

British citizen Sandra has been married to Monaam for over two and a half years, having known him since 2006 and been romantically involved since 2009. However immigration rules mean they are being forced to live apart; Sandra in the UK and Monaam in Tunisia.

Sandra has been welcomed with open arms by Monaam’s family – his mother, father, grandmother, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. They’ve taken Sandra into their fold.

Sandra however has family of her own in the UK, including her son who won’t get on a plane. Choosing to live in Tunisia means leaving her family, friends, home, work, and her dog. She should not have to be facing such a choice. The wages they would both earn in Tunisia would make even visiting the UK financially prohibitive.

So she is being told by this government that in order to live with her husband, she has to give up everything else she has, including her family? Just because she happened to fall in love and marry a non-EU man?

Every night they have been physically apart since 2009, they have been on Facebook or Skype. Monaam’s visa has been refused on countless occasions. As a visitor to the UK he was refused. When he applied for a visa to come to the UK to marry Sandra, the visa was refused.

They are battling the English test as well; Monaam takes English lessons in Tunis, yet he has not been able to pass the English test even after three attempts. Interesting, Sandra – who grew up and was educated in the UK, also failed some of the practice tests (which incidentally Monaam passed!). Indeed, is the best place to learn English not the land of the English – England?!

Just when they thought they had all the paperwork sorted, the government decided to move the goalposts yet again. As the spouse, Sandra being the British citizen has to work all extra hours she possibly can – overwork herself, in order to obtain a wage over £18,600 .

Her MP indicated how out of touch with British citizens he is by suggesting the wage she was on – before the extra hours taken on – was for part time work!! The amount Sandra earns for a 40 hour week is below £18,600 which is close to the average for Dorset, the region where she lives, and above the minimum wage. Just goes to show what politicians sitting with their gilded salaries, pension and expense benefits know!

Nonetheless, Sandra appreciates the support her MP has shown by providing a letter of recommendation that in his eyes they are a genuine couple who should be allowed to live together in the UK, to submit with their next spousal visa application. However, with the £18,600 hanging over their head and no discretion allowed this letter may not be of much help.

So far the costs of applying for visas (visiting, spouse), flights,etc are financially crippling them; indeed, if heir marriage were not so strong, no doubt they’d have given up by now.

Sandra is heartbroken and on anti-depressants to help her cope with the constant stress and enforced separation . Like others, she doesn’t understand why this government thinks it’s okay to keep husbands and wives apart for years especially when they otherwise profess to be pro marriage and pro family.

Sandra is being forced to constantly jump through moving hoops. How can anyone prove that what they share is love for each other or that a marriage will last a lifetime?

Sandra’s view is that the government is turning this country into a racist, ageist, sexist state where the right to fall in love and marry a non-EU person is only one afforded to the rich. It’s difficult to contest that.

Kirsty

“This is not how I expected my married life to be, a fight to be with my husband… .”

Kirsty is a British citizen, married to Karim, from Tunisia. Kirsty and Karim have known each other for over 11 years, since childhood, having met at a family wedding.

Over the years, they kept in touch and their relationship blossomed into something more serious; they were always aware of the uncertainty of distance long-distance relationship, knowing Kirsty did not want to live in Tunisia, and knowing that it would not be an easy or cheap process to have Karim move to the UK.

However, love triumphed and they married in July 2012, after accepting that they could not live without each other.

At the time, they were unaware that the new rules recently brought into force would require Kirsty to be earning at least £18,600 per annum.

Kirsty could not believe it – how could such rules be brought in so suddenly?! Upon meeting with two solicitors, Kirsty and Karim were told they had no chance –the visa would be refused again and again and again, until the government was taken to the High Court. They advised her they would help her fight the rules, but if they lost, the financial cost to Kirsty and Karim would be astronomical.

So this young married couple are stuck. Their only option at the moment is to continue as they are, spending their spare money on visiting each other, not allowing them to save for their future, for a deposit.

It is clear to Kirsty that this breaches her human right to a family life – the financial criteria discriminates against those hard-working taxpayers who earn an average salary, and as this law stands, she feels very much that when it comes marriage to someone from outside the EU for someone who wants to live in the UK, is now only for the rich or EU citizens who are not British.

Kirsty feels frustrated – why is it that her husband’s potential income in the UK is not considered? Karim has international diplomas in engineering, as a technician and in mechanics, as well as speaking many languages, so he has a much better chance of getting a high-earning job than Kirsty.

Karim speaks English perfectly and has passed an English test at the British Embassy. The couple has
accommodation available from Kirsty’s parents, their aim being to live there to save up for their own place.

But none of this is taken into account.

Kirsty is angry. Her husband, with diplomas and a strong work ethic, is not welcome in the UK, because he married a BritCit rather than a French, German or Polish citizen.

Amanda

“Why is it that there is one rule for Europeans and another for British citizens, in Britain?”

Amanda is a British citizen who has been unlucky in love. Her brother died a couple of years ago, followed by her mum, auntie, grandmother and cousin. Her ex-husband was violent and abusive towards her. And now the government wants to keep Amanda apart from her husband.

Amanda and her husband, Imed got married in a ceremony in Tunisia with her family and best friend in attendance. Imed is lovely and is very different from her ex-husband.

Amanda earns £16,200 a year; £2,400 short of the magical £18,600 figure. So the government tells Amanda that she cannot live with her husband in the UK.

Amanda understandably feels like she is being punished by her own government, for marrying someone whose religion and race don’t fit in with the correct ‘image’. She doesn’t believe
that the stringency of the rules have anything to do with the interests of the economy. Indeed, it can’t have anything whatsoever to do with that, given the government and UKBA have stipulated that anyone from outside the EU has no access to public funds.

Amanda’s husband is not asking for handouts. He has always worked, and worked long hours, for wages that some in the UK would not even get out of bed for.

All Amanda wants is the right to live in the same house as her husband, in the same country as her husband...and for that she feels like a criminal.

People have asked Amanda, ‘Why don’t you go and live with your husband in Tunisia’?
Her response – she has a home in the UK. She has two children who live with her. She has two grandchildren. She has a great job.

It’s not right that she is being forced to choose between husband and the rest of her family, her home, her career. Especially not right when as a British citizen she is facing this choice in her own country, but those from elsewhere in the EU have no income criteria to bring their spouse, parents, grandparents, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and even cousins to the UK.

Amanda just wants to be with her husband.



(Note: We have reached out to many interested parties, including many politicians, with the stories in this pack. We will shortly start to publish some of the responses we have received).

Alice

“We’re not asking for hand-outs, just the chance to live as a family unit.”

Alice is a British citizen living here in the UK, in Norfolk.  She is 34 years of age, with an 8-year-old daughter from her first marriage.

In May 2010 she met a lovely man who happened to be Tunisian. Just over two years later, in June 2012, they got married in Tunisia.

They previously applied for him to come here for a 6-week visit in December 2011. They were refused entry, even though they had a guarantor (Alice’s reasonably well-off father) AND had savings to pay for the visit.

The reason for the refusal was that the UKBA felt he did not have enough reason to return to his country following the visit. They subsequently decided to apply for a spouse visa following the marriage but missed the deadline for the rules changing on 9th July (background here: http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html ).

Alice lives in a small town in Norfolk where a salary of £18,600, particularly in retail – the industry she works in – is very difficult to obtain. As with many other regions of the UK, though, a salary of £18,600 can go a long way.

The language requirement is not an issue – her husband speaks fluent English and even has a TEFL certificate.

Alice is a single mother and has been using her savings to visit her husband in Tunisia (last year she
managed three visits) because he can't come here, even for a visit!!

Like countless other families affected by these rules, Alice spends most of her life on Skype and is regretfully beginning to accept that she may never be able to be with her husband, because otherwise it would mean keeping her daughter away from her dad. (Skype Mummy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHpaq4KBxY ; Skype Daddy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKrCUaKB4KM )

It is a wrenching choice. One which many others in similar situations are facing - not even a choice between 'exile or family breakup' ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/08/immigration-rules-couples-stark-choice ) - as whichever choice she makes will lead to loved ones being apart..

She is at a loss. She feels discriminated against by the British government.

Alice is not asking for handouts, just the chance to live as a family unit.

Alice, and hundreds like her, is exactly the sort of person we and the UK, as a caring society, should be protecting.