BritCits June 2013

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BritCits was founded by Steve and myself in 2012 in response to the governments family immigration rules.We both have non-EU family and have had our right to family life threatened by the very people supposed toprotect and represent us. So its not surprising that were extremely passionate about immigration. Weunderstand an open-door policy isnt practical. But were firm in the belief that immigration rules should be fairand clear and that the interest of a child should always prevail whatever the parents financial situation.

Steve created and manages our website www.britcits.com which has been lauded in the media. Through thewebsite, Facebook, Twitter, forums, networking & migrant groups such as MRN, JCWI, Family ImmigrationAlliance and Migrants Rights Scotland (all from whom we have learnt so much) we have established links withBrits who fell in love with a foreigner or have parents overseas and wish to now simply live in UK with theirfamily with no recourse to public funds.

Cases are wide & varied; a son earning over 100,000 unable to sponsor parents because of rules which areimpossible to meet and deemed a ban masquerading as a rule; a young mum with a second chance at love forcedto choose between her kids from a previous relationship living in the UK and her husband overseas; a gay mumwith twins unable to return to UK to have her civil partners status recognised for the security of their babies;debt-free pensioners forced into working for income they dont need; armed forces personnel who risked theirlife for our freedom being denied a right to their family file; British ex-pats wanting to return to look afterBritish parents find barriers to re-entry are too high if they have a non-EU spouse or child.

We encounter Skype families trying to conquer long-distance & time-differences through a screen; Brits forcedinto exile - some with an intention to return under Surinder Singh route, others so disenchanted theyve sold up& moved away for good. Theres women postponing having kids lest it be without their spouse by their side orin a country with poor health & education facilities; awful news stories of women having abortions to continueto earn a salary needed to sponsor their spouse. We come across a few unfortunate cases where the relationshiphasnt survived the upheaval & stress from rules designed to keep family apart. Where the cases fall clearlywithin the rules, UKBA mysteriously loses documents or the file is tucked away to join the rest of the backlog.This pack brings you face to face with the victims of these rules survivors - fighting loudly for their rights.

No political party denies indeed some even claim that families form the bedrock of a strong & stable society.Yet not one party has stood up against rules designed to disintegrate this bedrock - rules which treat Brits lessfavourably than other EEA nationals & international students in our own country. Its not surprising this hascaused resentment, albeit misplaced, towards migrants the government has been unable to prevent entering UK.

The Conservative partys manifesto, other than purporting to be family-friendly (which they have failed onseveral counts) also has a two-pronged net migration target; preventing foreigners & Brits overseas fromentering to live, work, study, re-unite with family whilst also encouraging our citizens to leave UK. Its thereforein this governments interest to make our country as unattractive as possible. Bear in mind this is from a partywe did not elect into government.

Migration from within EU has been discouraged through media propaganda, resulting in a backlash from othermember countries & loss of confidence from businesses with our EU future uncertain. International studentskeeping many of our educational institutions afloat & affordable for Brits have been treated as criminals.Complex financial & language conditions are set for those with a foreign spouse & children. Those wishing tolook after ageing parents are being denied this right completely, regardless of financial & health conditions.

Family members are from all over the world - unsurprising given the global nature of our lives. Its not unusualfor students to go & study overseas; take a working holiday to usual places like Australia & New Zealand, butnow also Asia, America & Africa. Multi-nationals encourage staff to go on overseas secondments. Foreignlanguages, not just European ones, are taught in more of our schools. Internet has made other cultures lessforeign; highlighting similarities between races, backgrounds, upbringing. Differences are celebrated. A deep-rooted understanding that were all just human wanting to do whats best for our family, is allowed to form.

Its not then unexpected when people fall in love with a country they are visiting, or someone they meet there.A bold statement perhaps, but I believe increased awareness of our sameness can lead to a reduction inwarfare; the world peaceMiss Worldcontestants crave. Having an island mindset only serves to isolate us fromthe rest of the world, doing untold damage to our economy, moral & family values and the very fabric of ournation. A spectacular own goal which the government should not be allowed to make at our expense.

Sonel@BritCits


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Table of Contentsbritcits speak out: .................................................................................................................................... 4Gratitude and media coverage ............................................................................................................ 102Non-EU parents

Alex........................................................................................................................................................ 13Anastasia & James................................................................................................................................ 20Chen ...................................................................................................................................................... 56

Ethan ..................................................................................................................................................... 59Jenny...................................................................................................................................................... 24Mahi ...................................................................................................................................................... 38Sarwat.................................................................................................................................................... 46Sattar..................................................................................................................................................... 29Shanika.................................................................................................................................................. 41Sonel ...................................................................................................................................................... 62Non-EU spouses and partners

Aaron & Kano ....................................................................................................................................... 85Aimie & David....................................................................................................................................... 33Aisha & Abraham.................................................................................................................................. 54Alice....................................................................................................................................................... 58Amanda.................................................................................................................................................. 61Andrew .................................................................................................................................................. 22Andy & MollyDylan & Devon ........................................................................................................... 39Anne....................................................................................................................................................... 70Asif & Hafsa .......................................................................................................................................... 96Barry, Francisca& Millie .................................................................................................................. 49Christopher & Christine........................................................................................................................ 65

Damar.................................................................................................................................................... 32David & Emelie..................................................................................................................................... 72David..................................................................................................................................................... 82Dee & Ozan........................................................................................................................................... 27Dell & Valery ........................................................................................................................................ 95Douglas ................................................................................................................................................. 31Emma..................................................................................................................................................... 83Emma, Driss& Aymane...................................................................................................................... 51Gerard & Vilai ...................................................................................................................................... 74

Jade & Luis ........................................................................................................................................... 42Janice & Erdogan ................................................................................................................................. 87Joel ........................................................................................................................................................ 50John & Hayley......................................................................................................................................... 9Joyce, Clyde & Xu Dan......................................................................................................................... 18Juliet...................................................................................................................................................... 34Katie & Cliff.......................................................................................................................................... 15Kelly ...................................................................................................................................................... 47Kev &Barbara ....................................................................................................................................... 67Kevin...................................................................................................................................................... 73Kirsty & Karim...................................................................................................................................... 69

Larissa & Nicolas.................................................................................................................................. 98Laura & Mohamed................................................................................................................................ 44Les & Becky........................................................................................................................................... 78Lionel & Svetlana.................................................................................................................................. 16Lisa........................................................................................................................................................ 86Lizzie & Alexander.................................................................................................................................. 6Loz & Josh............................................................................................................................................. 99Lucy & Andres....................................................................................................................................... 55


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britcits speak out:

I never thought the day would come when I was ashamed to be British... As Britishcitizens we have fewer rights in Britain than our EU friends or their non-EU partners. ..I cantjust move to another country to be with my fianc with three years left to complete my Masters

degree... "If its impossible for us as lawyers to understand the rules, what

hope is there for a layperson?" I would never wish for my worst enemy to be in thesituation I am in now. I feel like I am being told that I do not have the right to love whom I choose

or to start a family when I want to. All I have left is the hope that, one day, these rules will be

made fairer, so I have a chance at the family life we so desperately want. I served in the

British army, defended British lives and the British way of life, and now

am kept apart from my own wife and child. My parents are much older than mywife's and we wanted to be closer to them, so my wife, our son and I could see more of them and

help them out in their old age. Not too much to ask, is it...?UK puts a price tag on love

Expat in exile. As a result he missed the birth of his first-born child.

This government will be remembered as directly and indirectlyattacking the most vulnerable in society....They rejected the spouseapplication because of a technicality, knowing I wouldnt meet the income criteria of the new rules,

in another attempt to extort money. We're not asking for hand-outs, just the

chance to live as a family unit. I am keen for my small family to be near my parents, togain recognition of our family as a legal unit and be around to look after my parents as they get

older. My parents are living in the most appalling conditions, when

I could easily provide them with a better life, living with me in

London.... I believe in my marriage vows, and am firm in my commitment to my wife. Idont know how anyone could expect me to be separated from my babys daddy ... until I

get a job the UKBA agrees with, we miss out on special family moments and our baby

misses out on his daddy. Why is it that there is one rule for Europeans and another for

British citizens, in Britain? I wont let myself be forced out of my own

home, nor will I let this government keep my family apart. All wewant is the opportunity to live together; we are a familyWhat if my 92-year-old grandfather

dies, without ever having met my wife, and she cant even pay her last respects at his

funeral?! What married couple wants to spend twelve months maybe more

living in separate countries?In the Conservative pre-election waffle Mr Cameronmade a great deal about his views on the sanctity of marriage and family values.This is not how

I expected my married life to be, a fight to be with my husband...Are these the familyvalues the government wants to promote? Keeping parents and

children/grandchildren apart; breaking up marriages?I havent seen mywife and son in nearly a year; my family in Britain hasnt met or held my son.UKBA is happy

to take the visa application fees, and find spurious reasons to reject visa applications, in

order to take yet more fees.... The message we are getting from UK governmentis that we are not rich enough to love... I am being punished by my country forexercising my right to marry who I want. I cant be with my daughter and grandchild I cant look

after my grandma and parents because of these rules. My wife is eminently employable;

shed be a genuine asset to UK, yet we have to face choices no one should!When

you marry somebody you love for richer or poorer, it should mean


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just that...I shouldnt have to choose between being a mum and

granddaughter, and being in love.I am in despair. My family has been kept apartfor many years, despite playing by the rules...which the government keeps changing. I am

being pushed out of my own country by this government because I dared to

fall in love, have a baby with and marry a woman who is Japanese. It is

ludicrous and unlawful to put a price on anybodys marriage and love. We arehuman and deserve to be together with our loved ones. I have to fulfil my duty to lookafter my mother in her 70s, and my 12-year-old son, so I have no choice but to fight for my partner

to come to the UK. In the meantime I go out to see him as often as I can, nearly 20 times in 5

years!!" We live a simple life yet I am being kicked out of my own country How do

you explain to kids that we dont make enough money to be

together as a family. We have tried to teach them the

importance of family; more so importance of not judging

people by how much money they make... My American wife isbemused. All visas for non-EU citizens are stamped with a clear no recourse

to public funds. So she doesnt understand why burden on taxpayer is an

issue. My crime - I fell in love and exercised my right to do so. As a British student, I

cant live in my country with my wife, because she is American & I dont earn

18,600 how many British students do?! The government is separating me frommy wife and stepchildren, as I dont earn over 24,800 As a British Masters student, I cant livein my own country with my partner, since he is Argentinean and I dont earn 18,600. However,

international students coming to UK can live here with their partner and kids, without needing to

earn 18,600.... Despite being in a genuine loving relationship, the government has forced me intobecoming a single mother, juggling work, being a full-time mum and a wife. Family life is supposed to be a

right, not a privilege...but it sure doesnt feel like it! I hope one day I can be with the woman I love,

without that love having a price tag.. I just want to be able to look after my

parents without recourse to public funds in the same way theyve

looked after me and my childWe want to raise our baby together, in a countrywhere the culture and language are not going to damage my career as I need to financially support

my family.Just when my son and I have found a wonderful man to give us the

family life we so desire, UKBA persists in snatching away our chance at

happiness... Its a shame the government is blind to common

sense & so averse to doing the right thing, in the interest of

massaging some numbers. I am under the 18,600 threshold by 6.40 a month.I served 10 years in the British army, went to Iraq. Yet I have to spend another 12 months apart

from my husband, because of 6.40 a month! They dont see people behind the

figures; so they turn our lives into hell.. I am desperate to return home to

spend time with my parents in their final years..as they are both fighting

cancerbut I cant leave my wife! England is my home; I thought Id bewelcome here regardless of who I chose to marry.. As a British citizen, my country wants

me to earn the right to live with my family.. The parents issue is the most importantthing to me and I will move countries if I have to rather than abandon

thembut I shouldnt have to leave my home when I can guarantee to lookafter them with no recourse to public funds.


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Legal advice obtained has indicated that Alexander will not even qualify for a visitors visa now as hehas displayed an intent to live in the UK. So the only way for this family to see each other again is forLizzie to travel to Ecuador, on a 15+ hour flight with one year old. She cannot remain there as she isemployed in the UK she wants to ensure she does not jeopardise her income levels here lest she loseher appeal. So she is juggling childcare and employment.

Yet Lizzie believes the real victim of these unfair rules rules which should be illegal is herdaughter. The Geneva Convention was created to protect families from exactly this sort of abuse. Herdaughter only sees her daddy through Skype for an hour each day and her mother is constantlystressed, tired and struggling. This is not how their little family was. They were so happy.

Lizzie never thought this would happen to her. She never dreamed a British system could get things sobadly wrong. Her faith in British democracy and justice has been misplaced; her family torn apart justso politicians can say theyre being "tough on immigration" whatever the cost. She is upset thatfamilies of British citizens are being used as scapegoats for a bemusing political agenda. Shes hurtthat her country has let her down. She is angry that there is no one who is going to be held accountablefor the misery caused.

With a further 3-9 months separation Lizzie is having difficulty focusing on the light at the end of thetunnel. She is desperate for the rules to change to change now, not after the next election.


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Nikki, Juan& JaydenDespite being in a genuine loving relationship, the government has forced

me into becoming a single mother, juggling work, being a full-time mum and

a wife. Family life is supposed to be a right, not a privilege..but it sure doesnt

feel like it!

British citizen Nikki is 32 years old and lives in Aberdeen, Scotland. She has a two year old son,Jayden, with her partner, Juan. Juan is Canadian. Nikki lives in Aberdeen with their son, while herpartner lives in Canada.

Nikki and her partner are in a genuine and loving relationship; they have been forced apart due to theCanadian support system letting them down. Since leaving Canada three months after their son wasborn, Nikki has been spending half her life in Canada and the other here; six months in Canada, six inthe UK.

Nikkis partner was refused leave to enter to the UK in 2010 and therefore missed their sons firstChristmas. Subsequently, his application for a visitors visa and entry clearance were also rejected,despite their doing everything they were asked to provided letters from employers, landlords, bank

statements and showed their bank balance; but were still refused. Now Nikkis partner has no right tocome here to visit his son which has forced her into becoming a single working mother living on apart time wage and living between two countries.

Nikki has to earn at least 18,600 a year and have a home for them to live in before she can apply.This is impossible as at the moment Nikki works just to live every day.

Their lives are quite simple with simple goals they want to work to provide for themselves and theirson and to watch him grow. They want to be a family and do family things such as take him toDisneyland, enrol him in a good school and secure a future for him. At the moment they dont see anyof that. The right to live a normal life seem so distant and living in two countries, theyre not evenable to provide their son with stable life.

Nikkis parents live in Aberdeen and have done all their lives. They both have secure jobs and havean amazing relationship with Nikki and their grandson. The support and comfort Nikki gets from herparents is exactly what she wants for her son; but she also cant deprive him of growing up without hisfather. A great number of fathers and even mothers choose not to be part of their childs life.However, in this case they choose to love and stand by each other and be a family yet they are beingforced apart by politicians.

Nikki and her partner do not want to live here illegally; they are not asking for handouts and they bothhave clean criminal records. They both want to work and pay their taxes. They just want to be afamily.

Every year, Nikki has to resignfrom her job so she can go toCanada for six months. Everyyear she has to watch her sonsbond with his father beingcruelly broken. Every year, shehopes the next will be different.


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John & HayleyAs a British citizen, my country wants me to earn the right to live

with my family..

John is a British citizen born & raised in Edgware, now residing in Texas, USA. John has been livingwith Hayley, an American, since June 2009. They both agreed that their long term plans involvedmoving to England and raising their children here.

They married in August 2011 and welcomed their beautiful son, Ryan, a year later. Now they thoughtthe time was right to move to England, wishing Ryan to be close to his 17 year old half sister, cousins,aunt and uncle who all live here. They want their son to have as good an education as possible, withEnglish schools consistently ranked higher than their American counterparts. Indeed, they perceiveEnglish schools to be safer as well.

Hayley has been working for four years for the investmentbank JPMorganChase & Co, as an associate levelsupervisor. It is possible she could obtain a transfer to thecorporate office in London if there were no visa issues.

John is a labourer. He has 10 years experience workingfor Royal Mail in a job he enjoyed and hopes to return toit but positions that meet the minimum wage requirementsfor a partner visa do not come easily. Neither Hayley norJohn are eyeing our streets paved with gold.

Hayley is the higher wage earner in their family, earningabout $10,000 more per year than John. They are aware itwill likely be the same in England. She enjoys her work,and is very good at it. She is confident that she will beable to support the family if she were allowed to become a

member of our community.

Ryan is 6 months old. Right now John works evenings andHayley works during the day. They share childmindingduties around their jobs. Neither can imagine the pain itwould cause John to miss Ryans first steps and firstwords because the land where John was born, the only

place he has ever called home, wants him to earn the right to raise his family there.

The way the rules currently stand this couple faces three options:

a) Raise Ryan in America, while saving to meet the financial criteria - a process that will take years.b) Risk everything and enter England on a visitor visa while John applies for a job satisfying theincome criteria, then leave the country in order to apply for a spouse visa. Risky and costly.c) Break up the family up for at least 15 months - Hayley remains in Texas working and raising Ryan

on her own. John works 2 jobs to meet the wage requirements, after a year they would again be inthe position of hoping and praying our application would be approved.


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SarahAs a result he missed the birth of his first-born child.

Sarah is a British citizen from Bradford. Sarah met her husband in the UK, and they lived together asa family in England for 18 months before his visa expired. They should qualify for the right to livetogether under the Zambrano ruling but delays on the part of UKBA are keeping this family in limbo.

Sarah has two kids from a previous relationship, and a child with her husband (this is her firstmarriage) who she is trying to sponsor to move to the UK from Turkey, so their family can betogether. Her two eldest kids call her husband dad, even though he is not their birth father. That is howclose this family is.

Sarah does not satisfy the 18,600 income threshold. She is in receipt of benefits, including incomesupport and child tax credit. However, this will change when her husband joins her, as once he isworking (there is already a job lined up) Sarah will cease to be eligible for benefits which are meanstested (although she will continue to receive tax credits in respect of the children).

Sarah relocated to Turkey with her family and eventually decided to move back to the UK for herchildrens education. They applied for a visitor's visa for her husband, so that he could be here for

their childs birth, but the visa was refused on the grounds that because his family was in England theythought he may not return to Turkey. As a result he missed the birth of his first-born child.

It has not been an easy time for Sarah, what with having to give birth alone, raise not one but threekids alone, and then have a faulty toaster set their house on fire.

Sarah, her husband and the three children stay in touch using MSN, a webcam and Web chat everyday. They have applied for a spouse visa for him; however, under the new rules, they may as well justdonate more money to the British government which seems intent on tearing apart this family ratherthan understanding that being with her husband is what would be best for Sarah and her three children.


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Neil & EmilyAll I want is for the nightmare to end..and my family to remain

together in my home country

Neil's story highlights the nature of the attack on British citizens from both, the rules & how theyre

applied to those who wish to exercise their right to live in their homeland without sacrificing core

values of family relationships.

Neil is a British citizen, married to Emily, who is from the Philippines. Neil first met Emily whilstworking in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They dated for several years and in October 2011, they gotmarried. Not long after the wedding they received the joyous news that Emily was expecting theirfirst child. Neil and Emily began to plan their future and looked forward to embracing the challengesand rewards of parenthood. They became the proud parents to Lucy.

Neil and Emily made plans to introduce their daughter to their largefamily in North West England. They applied for a visitor visa forEmily and when the application was successful, booked their flights

and returned home for a visit. Unfortunately, a spanner was thrown inthe works when Neil lost his job after 15 years loyal service, in Londonand UAE. So this family of two Brits decided to relocate toPreston, Neils hometown.

They hoped this would provide a stable, nurturing environment to raiseLucy in, benefiting from a world-renowned English education system -the education systemNeil was schooled in, in his homeland, as a

British citizen. Neil with his extensive experience found a job in UK.

He researched the process of returning to the UK and dutifully gatheredtogether the relevant documentation needed. On 20th November 2012, they submitted a visa

application for Emily, asking for leave to remain as the spouse of a British citizen. After nearly 4months, they received a reply from UKBA the application had been denied. The words Decision to

Refuse to Vary Leave to Enter or Remain remain burnt in Neils mind as the wonderful future theyhad planned came crashing to the ground. Further reading revealed UKBA rejected their applicationon the following grounds:

a) Neil and Emilys marriage is not recognised as a valid marriage in the UKb) No evidence was provided of Lucys existencec) Emily was granted leave to remain as a visitor and therefore does not meet the requirements

of E-LTRP 2.1

Neil regards all these reasons baseless on the following grounds:

a) According to UKBAs own website, Neil and Emilys marriage is valid in UK:In most cases a marriage certificate will provide satisfactory evidence that a marriage has taken

place.

Neil and Emilys marriage meets all the requirements for a legal marriage in UAE; with Emilysapplication they submitted a marriage certificate which was verified, approved, and stamped bythe British Embassy. UKBA has not yet returned this certificate.

b) Neil has a birth certificate for Lucy, in English and Arabic; they had notified the ConsulateGeneral at the British Embassy in Dubai of Lucys birth. Lucy also has her own British passport.While Neil did not submit this information with his wifes application, UKBA should have beenable to locate this information given it had already been submitted to representatives of its owngovernment. Or failing that, ask Neil for this information!


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On c) Neil is perplexed as according to the information available on UKBAs website, they shouldhave been able to switch categories of visas.

Its not surprising that this family fees that UKBA is just findingreasons to punish them. Indeed, even Citizens Advice Bureau hasstruggled to understand this third point of contention.

UKBA has indicated they plan to remove Emily wife from UK andsend her back to the Philippines if they do not appeal against thisunfair decision. They have also told us this family that should theappeal fail, Emily will not be able to return to the UK for another 10years. Emily is my wife and mother of British citizens, who are nowleft at a loss..overcome the fear that by appealing an unfair decisionthey could lose and thus be faced with a 10 year ban, or accept anunfair decision and not be able to live in the UK!

Neil must either accept that the family will be broken up by UKBA or their family unit will be forcedto leave UK in order to stay together.

All this family wants is for the nightmare to end. Neil and Emily are British citizens, and they shouldbe treated as such. Their family and their values should also be respected and cherished - notdismissed.

Neils story has also been covered in the local mediahttp://www.lep.co.uk/community/shock-as-filipino-wife-faces-being-thrown-out-of-britain-1-5505434

Its a sad day when two British citizens are made more welcome in the Middle East than the UK, justbecause their mother and wife is Filipino.


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AlexThe parents issue is the most important thing to me and I will move

countries if I have to rather than abandon thembut I shouldnt

have to leave my home when I can guarantee to look after them with

no recourse to public funds.

Alex is a British citizen from Kent, Dartford with Oxford University as his alma mater. A propertyinvestor and entrepreneur in the UK for 12 years and financially supporting his parents in Ukraineduring this period as well.

His parents are both 65 years old, living in rented accommodation in Ukraine because they sold theirproperty with the intention to move to the UK and bring their life savings with them. They have norelatives other than Alex and his wife. They somewhat know the UK, having stayed here for a monthor two every couple of years, but travelling is proving more and more difficult with age and itsunavoidable symptoms.

Alex has worked hard and is earning over 100,000 a year. He is not on benefits (indeed, he wouldn'teven qualify). He wishes to have his parents with him here, to enjoy and share his success, after yearsof hard work and sacrifices made by them all. It's well overdue. His parents would not qualify forbenefits in the UK, with a very clear no recourse to public funds stamped in their passport, but Alex iswilling to sign a waiver, provide a guarantee and take out private healthcare cover to alleviate anysuch fears this government might have nonetheless.

However under the current immigration rules this is still impossible. Now Alex is not just going toshrug his shoulders and say, "oh well" and think by sending money to Ukraine his responsibilities arefulfilled. No, thats not how he was brought up and its not how he would want his children to treathim. So Alex is considering moving countries. Going to another EEA country for a year or so wherehe can have his parents with him and then using the Surinder Singh route to return to his home, the

UK, with his parents. What is being denied to him by the UK is allowed to him by Europe.

With his excellent credentials, he has already had job offers from Frankfurt and Zurich but does notwant to leave unless forced to. For him though the parents issue is the most important factor at themoment and one for which he will move if he needs to. The point remains that he should not need to.

With him will go his money for a year, the boost so sorely needed by our economy.

Yes, Alex intends to return. But he might fall in love with his new home and never do so (supportersof Tory's net migration target with hands up in victory are oblivious to the fact that by encouragingexile of our citizens we are damaging our own future).

Even if Alex does return, he won't forget what this government has done, and what the opposition haslet them do. People never do forget when its their own family and family life that is threatened. Andthe saddest thing is - unless there's a change pronto, he won't ever trust the system in UK again,because it will have failed him.


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RobThey rejected the spouse application because of a technicality,

knowing I would not meet the income criteria under the new rules,

in yet another attempt to extort more money.

Rob is a professional British musician, with a first class degree in music, and has taught music andperformed at concerts. Rob has an eight-year-old son and lives in a detached house in Huddersfield.He worked hard for everything he has and hasnt received help from the state in the form of benefits.However, Rob is not rich.

Rob fell in love with an Indonesian woman, and married her. They believe they are each others soulmate. They made vows to each other, with God as their witness, to be together, for richer and poorer.Rob is a standard Brit, never having needed to worry about the UK immigration system. In battling fora spouse visa application, however, he realised how bureaucratic the process is, and indeed how unfairand weighted towards the rich it is, given the application fees.

Rob and his wife applied for a spouse visa on June 26th, weeks before what he terms the ethniccleansing type rules came in. They submitted accounts for three years (he is self-employed not richbut better off than many), bank statements, originals and copies, everything as requested ... no stonewas left unturned.

For over two months, the message fromthe Embassy was Application under

process at the British Embassy, andthen, inearly September, they receivedan email asking her to take a SELTEnglish test. The message in the emailindicated that if she did not submit thiswithin seven days her visa would berejected. Despite the short notice, themanaged it and this was submitted ontime as well.

About a month later, they received amessage saying the application was ready

for collection; however, it was refused because of the English test. This struck Rob as bizarre as hiswifes English is fantastic. Delving further into it, the authorities said she had passed the reading,writing and listening requirements but had not submitted the speaking part.

Although they put in an appeal, called a lawyer and asked what to do, they were advised that theappeal would probably be rejected; and applying for a new visa would fall under the new rulesrequiring submission of another 900 fee.

Rob was bemused - the authorities could have said, ..your application is ok, but you need to do thespeaking test, we'll give you another week? Instead they rejected the application due to a technicality,knowing Rob would be unlikely to meet the income criteria, in an attempt to extort more money.

Robs uncle fought in Burma in WW2, fighting the Japanese for the UK. He himself has worked hardand paid his taxes. His great uncle was just a name tag when he came back from France in WW1. Hisgreat grandfather died from the repercussions of WWI, also fighting for the UK.Is this the UK that his family went to war for?

Rob now very much has to come to terms with the fact that he will need to sell his house in the UKand relocate himself and his son to Indonesia. Another plus towards the immigration target but another

loss for Britain, our economy and our people.


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Katie & CliffWhat married couple wants to spend twelve months maybe more

living in separate countries?

Katie is a British citizen directly affected by the new immigration rules.

Katie moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2010 to be with her partner, Cliff, a SouthAfrican citizen. He visited England on three separate occasions but has never lived in the UK. Theygot married in October 2010 in Cape Town after a 3-year relationship.

Katies father passed away in April 2012 after a long hard battle against cancer. Katie and Cliff feelthat now is the right time to move permanently to the UK to be with her mother, who is living alone inNorfolk and needs the support of her family.

Katie is a qualified primary school teacher with three years full-time experience. She is also aqualified Health and Social Care worker, having gained an NVQ Level 3. Cliff has many yearsexperience in the finance sector and has just gained his degree in Business Administration. They bothhave skills and experience to offer the UK.

In the course of their in-depth research plus guidance from immigration consultants, they wereshocked and saddened by the implications of the new rules. They meet all of the criteria for asettlement visa; however, they believe the financial requirements to be totally absurd and incrediblyharsh. Katie already has an offer of employment in the UK and, as it is their intention is to live withher mother for the interim, there is no need to rely on any public funding.

Katie has been working in Cape Town as an au pairfor the past two and a half years, earning areasonable salary. However, taking the fluctuating exchange rate into account and the fact that salariesare considerably lower in South Africa, it has not been possible for her to command an 18,600 grossannual salary. She is aware of the need for savings to cover the shortfall in salary but the amounts ofmoney are totally absurd how many people have tens of thousands of pounds lying around in cash

that they dont need to rely on for five years!

Katie has been told by an immigration consultant that she, as her husband's British sponsor, must takefull financial responsibility, a situation which seems totally hopeless at the moment. She has also beentold that, under the current rules, she will have to work for six or more months in the UK in order toearn the required salary while her husband remains in South Africa.

What married couple wants to spend six to twelve months living in separate countries? Where is thelogic in these new changes?!

Katie is livid that virtually overnight people are expected to have thousands and thousands of poundsin savings if they do not meet the annual gross salary requirement.

These requirements are quite frankly ridiculous and will no doubt cause some partners and families tobreak up if they are forced to live separately!

Update:Cliffs UK visit visa is coming to an end so he will return to South Africa soon. The couple isdreading saying goodbye especially given the uncertainty around the period they will have to be apart

and knowing they will be celebrating their birthdays, anniversary and other family events without the

other. On some positive news, Katie has been successful in obtaining a job meeting the magical

18,600 criteria so they will need to wait for her to have 6 months of payslips, then apply for the

spouse visa. It is likely they will be apart for about 1 year allowing for UKBA processing times. The

couple is be optimistic that the rules may change following court hearings and that other couples

wont have to suffer the hardships they see coming up for themselves.


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Lionel & SvetlanaIn the Conservative pre-election waffle Mr Cameron made a great

deal about his views on the sanctity of marriage and family values.

Lionel, British by birth, married Svetlana in May 2010. He has been trying to have Svetlana join himin the UK, ever since.

English Language constantly changing requirements

Soon after their wedding Lionel was made redundant, so they delayed the spouse application until hefound a new job, by which time the English requirement had been introduced. This in itself wasnt aproblem as their intention had always been for Svetlana to take English lessons, and where better tolearn English than in England?!

Despite the change in the rules, his wife continued with her lessons and took a test at "ExpertLanguage Schools" in Kaliningrad. It never even occurred to them that it would need to be taken at anapproved centre as this wasnt clearly indicated, and the immigration expert they sought advice andassistance from, at considerable expense, didnt tell them about it until an hour before Svetlana was

due at the visa centre in Moscow.

Needless to say her visa was refused because her B1certificate was not issued by an approved centre. Theonly place in Kaliningrad that is approved to issue acertificate only supports the IELTS test. In March 2011Lionels wife sat the exam, following some tuition.Since her previous test her use of English has beenlimited and she achieved an overall band score of 4.

At the time UKBA website's Approved Partner liststated grade 4 was sufficient. However, the new liststates for IELTS minimum is grade 4 in all disciplines;Svetlana achieved grade 4 in listening, grade 3 inspeaking. The question for her speaking test wasludicrous, of an academic nature, dealing with politics.

As Svetlana indicates, she could not have answered thequestion adequately in her native language, let alone inEnglish, and Lionel believes he may well have struggledto provide a suitable answer as well, despite beingBritish born and bred!!

It was and still is the view held by Lionel that if a grade 4 is equivalent to level B1 then surely grade 3is at least level A2., Now, because of this government, he and his wife are regularly forced to converse

on Skype, in English, and they communicate without any issues at all.

Svetlana is unable to study towards the English language requirements at present. She works from9am to 7pm every day, only having Sundays off, to earn a meagre 350 per month. English classes arenot available outside these times. Of course supporting two homes and visits to Russia has severelydepleted Lionels savings as well, giving UKBA yet another reason to refuse.


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Joyce, Clyde & Xu DanThe story from a mothers perspective

Joyce is a British mother from Yorkshire. Her family can trace their UK roots going back 500 years.

No member of their family has claimed benefits for a duration longer than a few weeks.

This is a proud and self-sustaining family with strong work ethics. Joyce recalls when she wentagainst the norm, travelling around Europe. She ended up living and working in Brussels.

She wasnt surprised therefore when her son, Clyde also a British citizen - was driven by the sameadventurous wanderlust to travel. Clyde is quite shy, but found he could fuel his travel urge byteaching his valuable mother tongue the English language to others in the places he travelled to.

In 2007 his travels took him to a mining town in southern China. He enjoyed the extreme differenceshe found between this town and England, but it wasnt a place he could settle down for life in.However while there he met Xu Dan - a Chinese girl. They fell very much in love.

Once the teaching contract ended, Clyde returned home, wanting to be with Xu Dan but knowing

China wasnt in his long-term plans. They stayed in touch via Skype, meeting during holidays.Their love survived the long distance and inherent hardships, but Clyde decided hed move to Beijingwith Xu Dan, where a teaching job would be easier to find. He first wished to introduce Xu Dan to hisparents and so applied for a tourist visa to bring her to several family events in 2010. The visa wasrefused and the entire family was hurt, surprised and disappointed. UKBA gave no reason for therefusal, though it was too late to do anything as the events were imminent.

The young couple spent a happy 18 months in Beijing with Clyde working in a teaching role. In 2011Joyce and her husband planned to spend their own holiday travelling to China to meet Xu Dan.Incidentally, Joyce and her husband had no problems obtaining a visa from the Chinese authorities,with the process being more efficient and cheaper than the service provided by UKBA.

As both Clyde and Xu Dans family would be together, it seemed a perfect opportunity to seal theirrelationship by marriage. Joyce travelled to Xu Dans home town, in northern China and together thetwo families celebrated an extraordinary set of events, a wedding party and the official administrativemarriage declaration.

It was pure happiness for all involved. The united families walked around the Meihekou streetstogether, truly but naively believing, that it would now only be a matter of time before Joyce couldwelcome her new daughter-in-law to meet the rest of their family including Joyces mum in her late80s - and walk around the English streets with the same freedom.

The family applied for a family visit visa for Xu Dan to spend Christmas with her new family. Totheir horror, it was refused again. UKBA didnt believe Xu Dan would return to China after the visit.

Joyces direct experiences with UKBA and various British embassies proved fruitless and she realised


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UK had abandoned her family. Joyce didnt give up she went to see an officially approvedimmigration legal advisor in Cambridge and they put in a successful, albeit expensive, appeal.

With happy hearts the family welcomed Clyde and Xu Dan at Heathrow on 18 th December 2011. XuDan visited her grandmother-in-law as well, spending a fantastic Christmas, followed by a tour of UKwhere Clyde and Xu Dan met relatives from Shropshire, North Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

Clyde longed to live in the friendly communities among the narrow boats moored on river Cam and

used his savings to buy a boat. He received job offers from English Language schools in Cambridge.At the same time, Xu Dan left UK complying with the visa conditions and went to Belgium to be withher in-laws. It was only AFTER a settlement visa application was submitted and paid for (over 1000)that fine print indicated those with temporary residence rights in Belgium couldnt apply for asettlement visa. So Xu Dan took her first solo plane journey back to China and after somecomplications, submitted the application. The visa was rejected - UKBA wasnt satisfied Clyde wouldearn 18,600; though from his performance to date indicated he was set to earn at least 21,000. It isimpossible to describe the distress & devastation caused to the whole family.

The offer of support of Clydes parents was ignored, as was the rent-free accommodation in Joycesmums home; also ignored was the fact that Clyde owned his own residence i.e. the boat for which hetherefore wouldnt have any accommodation expenses. The income which could be earned by Xu Dan

was also ignored, as a fluent Mandarin speaker.

They immediately appealed in November 2012, though the hearing will take place after June 2013 atthe earliest, which means the couple is separated for a further minimum 9 months.

Joyces husband couldnt cope with the constant issues surrounding Joyce and her family; he sufferedfrom depression and felt neglected and subsequently left Joyce.

This family is now completely broken because of UKBAs farcical immigration rules.Joyces plea is for MPs our representatives, to take a hard look at how your draconian immigrationrules are affecting British citizens, rules which dont contribute to supporting families nor stabilisingsociety in any way.


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Anastasia & JamesAs British citizens we have fewer rights in Britain than our EU

friends and even their non-EU partners...

Anastasia is a British citizen and lives in Edinburgh with her British husband and British children.

Anastasia has a wide and varied circle of international friends - Patrick from Ireland married to Jingfrom China, Andy a Scot married to Katarina from Poland, Jos from Spain married to Lisa fromArgentina, and Mike from Netherlands married to Olga from Russia. Then there is Anastasia andJames, both Brits. Indeed, Anastasia recognises, through her friends circle, that what makes Britaingreat is how multicultural we are. This is what makes our country rich.

They come in all different shapes and sizes; Jos prefers coffee to tea and Jing goes for rice overpotatoes. But when this group meets up, they have a good time together, comparing stories aboutfamilies and experiences from around the world. Anastasia is reminded how small the world is andhow we all share the same common wishes and experiences: the desire to give our children the bestpossible start in life, the longing to be together as a family and the heartache from being apart fromyour loved ones.

Theres not much to tell Anastasia apart from her friends until it comes to UKs immigration rules.This is where Anastasia and James, both as British citizens are the odd ones out and thereforedisadvantaged.

Anastasias mum is a Russian citizen, living in Russia on her own since Anastasias dad died in a carcrash two and a half years ago. Anastasia has no other siblings to help look after her mum.

After many years of waiting, this summer Anastasia and James were fortunate to be blessed with twingirls. Anastasias mum retired from her job to come to the UK for six months on a visitor visa to helpwith the babies. Following the difficult years after Anastasias dads tragic and unexpected death, itwas good to see her mum happy again and engaging with her granddaughters.

Anastasia is therefore keen to haveher mum live with them, with noburden on the State.

Under the previous immigrationrules this would have been possibleand they were planning to apply forIndefinite Leave to Remain;however, following the introductionof the new immigration rules in Julythis year, Anastasia is in totaldespair as the route has effectivelybeen completely closed off.

The situation is causing severedistress; instead of enjoyingmotherhood Anastasia spends mostof her day desperately trying to finda solution.

James, Anastasia, her mum and the twins

The new rules have set the proof of dependency so high that it is actually impossible to foresee anycircumstances whereby a visa would be granted to a parent of a British citizen. Should the sponsor

earn a reasonable salary, its deemed they can afford to pay for care in the parents home country; ifthe sponsor doesnt earn a reasonable salary, they cant prove they can support their parent withoutrecourse to public funds. So with money or without it, elderly parents are blocked from the country.


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As these rules apply only to UK citizens, within Anastasias circle of friends they are the only onesaffected, because both her and husband are British.

Even a non-EU citizen living in the UK with their EEA or Swiss spouse or civil partner can bring theirfamily members (children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and cousins) into theUK so long as their EU partner can show a family member is dependent on them.So, for example, a Russian citizen married to a citizen of France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, etc. canbring their Russian mother to live permanently with them in the UK, but Anastasia and James, as

British citizens, are denied that same right, in their own country.

To Anastasia, the situation in Britain today is terribly reminiscent of the forced exiles associated withNazi Germany and Soviet Russia. In the 1930s her great grandfathers family were forced off theirland, had their property and belongings confiscated by the Bolsheviks, and were exiled to the north ofRussia because they were a little bit richer than everybody else in their village.

In 21st-century Britain, Anastasia is being penalised because she has a mother who is not British, andthus deprived of the right to live comfortably with her family in the country of which she herself is acitizen. Why? Since coming to this country Anastasia has studied, at her own expense, volunteeredwith several charities, worked hard and paid taxes; she has never claimed benefits.

So, what has she done to deserve this?

As parents, Anastasia and James want to stay in their own country and raise their kids to be British,but if they do this, then they are being told by the current government that they must abandonAnastasias mother and that she has to be vegetating before her entry to the UK can even beconsidered (and even then it would be rejected under the current rules).

It is blatantly unfair that families in UK are being forced to make such choices, just because theyreBritish.


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AndrewWhat if my 92-year-old grandfather dies, without ever having met

my wife, and she cant even pay her last respects at his funeral?!

Andrew, a British citizen, has lived in Spain with his South African wife for four years. They had abeautiful beach wedding and some members of his family from England attended the celebrations.

Despite being British and SouthAfrican, respectively, they didnot encounter any problems withthe Spanish authorities regardingissuing a family member spousevisa, and his wife is now aSpanish resident. She has had aresidence card for 5 years, whichclearly states on the back:Family Member of EEANational.

With this card they are free totravel around the whole ofEurope. They can even enter theUK's overseas territory ofGibraltar, where Andrew works.

They just cant enter the UK (the country of which Andrew is a national!) and where the rest of hisfamily is.

EU law states in 2004/38/EC that any family member with an EU-issued residence card of more than

3 months duration does not require a visa to enter any other EU member state. But in direct violationof the law, UK government refuses to recognise EU-issued residence cards, insisting on its ownresidence cards. As such, in order for his wife to come to the UK with Andrew even for a two-weekvisit! they have to apply for an EEA Family permit. And thus the red tape, and the farce, begins.

To obtain this family permit, Andrew has to prove that he is working in another EU member state. Soif he was unemployed it would be impossible for his wife to visit the UK without applying for aregular visa at a cost of 250 for South African nationals. Fortunately he does work, and as such he isable to provide such documentation.

The EU rules require that there be no prohibitive cost or process for the issue of an EEA FamilyPermit (indeed, it must be free), yet the UK tries to circumvent this legal requirement by referring to itas a visa.

In the past, they have had to fill out a 12-page form requesting financial details, relationship history,10-year address history, etc. Then they had to make an appointment at the British Consulate in Madrid 500 miles away necessitating a 7-hour drive and a hotel stay, i.e. substantial further expense.Given that the next available appointment was 2 months after filling in the visa application online,there was undue delay on top of the expense!

Also, they charge 15 to return the passport and documents via DHL and it can take 3 weeks toprocess an EEA Family Permit, which is referred to as a decision.

This might not seem too bad if that was it, and Andrews wife was then clear to enter the UK to visitas often as she wished. But no! After all this, she can only enter the UK as long as Andrew is with

travelling with her, and the permit only lasts for 6 months. After this time, they have to go through theentire laborious process again!


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They wanted to visit the UK in August. By the middle of October they still hadnt received thedecision. They are determined to go for Christmas, especially as many of Andrews family have notyet met his wife, including his grandfather, a 92-year-old war veteran who is quite poorly and may notbe around for much longer. And there are nieces and nephews who want to meet their new auntie too.

Andrew is keen to show his wife where he grew up, his home town, his school, his friends. These areall perfectly reasonable expectations and something that he never thought would prove to be so

difficult in his own home country, given that they were welcomed with open arms by theadministration in Spain.

The UK's policy of forcing them to apply for an EEA Family Permit falls well outside the FreeMovement Directives of the EU, so much so that the EU challenged the UK to change these laws backin April or face court action. However, this UK government seems intent on remaining defiant and iswilling to pay millions of pounds in fines. using taxpayers' money, rather than be a law-abidinggovernment that has respect for its citizens, i.e. British voters.

Update, end October 2012:Andrews wife was refused entry clearance and an EEA Family Permit. The UKBAs view was that

Andrew and his wife did not provide sufficient documentary evidence that Andrew was working or

self-employed in another member state prior to returning to the UK and therefore the regulations do

not apply.

In fact, Andrew submitted:

letter from his employer, on a company letterhead, stating that he had been employed for theevidence of last 4 years permanent employment, with a salary over 30,000

copy of his work contract; payslips from preceding three months.It is likely the refusal was on the grounds that Andrew works in Gibraltar but lives in Spain we dontknow. No explanation was given, and theres no one to contact to clarify the reason for the refusal.

Having checked with EU Commission, Andrew received confirmation that the UK government

has acted illegally by refusing his wife a family permit.

Will Andrews 92-year-old grandfather ever get to meet Andrews wife? Will this family be able togather together for Christmas? Ask the British government.

Update: Andrews wife did not receive the EEA family permit in time for their scheduled trip to the

UK. Nevertheless, Andrew and his wife did get to spend Christmas with his family and his wife and

grandfather were able to spend valuable time together.


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JennyI just want to be able to look after my parents without recourse to

public funds in the same way theyve looked after me and my child

Jenny from Kingston & Surbiton is a British citizen with South African parents. She works for a very

reputable regulator with a secure, stable job.

She has also been supporting her parents for several years, which she doesnt have an issue with.After all, shes in a position to do so only because they made sacrifices for her to be where she is.

Jenny also now has a child, a British child. As she cannot afford to pay 1000 in childcare everymonth, on top of her living expenses - rent, bills, while also sending money to her parents, her parentshave been visiting her regularly to help with the childcare.

This may sound fine and dandy, but it's when you delve further you realise that parental sacrificesdon't end even in old age.

Jenny's parents take it in turns to visit the UK for 6 months at a time so they can help her withchildcare all year round, and so that she can afford to pay their living expenses back in their homecountry. Jenny could, and will,never turn her back on her parents and stop supporting them as theyare, due to unfortunate circumstances, unable to support themselves.

So her parents are forced to take it in turns to visit their daughter and grandchild because they canonly stay here for 6 months in a year.

This raises several issues:

1) The parent who is in South Africa is alone, lonely and miserable for half of their life

2) The parent who is leaving the UK after 6 months has to regularly go through the heart-wrenchingprocess of saying goodbye to their own family, knowing they're going back to an empty existence.

3) Jenny's parents barely see their own spouse because of their own financial obligations deemingdependency on their daughter necessary.

4) UKBA could at any point cease allowing the parent in even for 6 months. At any point. It hashappened to other parents, with UKBA denying them entry and saying they need to apply for asettlement visa if they wish to visit their family in the UK regularly. Whether UKBA staff are or arenot aware of the rules which make it impossible for any parent of an adult British citizen to qualify forthe right to be here, is anyone's guess.

Like others in this position, Jenny has considered applying for a settlement visa. She knows it will berejected, but maybe then she could appeal, or take it to court where rules which make it impossible foranyone to qualify while charging 2000 a pop per application, willbe overturned by our judicialsystem.

While this takes time and money, her biggest concern is that by applying for a settlement visa she runsthe risk of her parents never ever being allowed back in the UK, because their having expressed thedesire to settle here will be interpreted by UKBA as an intention to live here, with a possible slappingof a 10 year ban on even re-applying.

It is grossly unfair that Jenny is not able to allow her parents to make their home with her in the UK,without recourse to public funds.


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Sharon & WadeLiving with my husband and my English family is proving to be an

impossible dream..

Sharon is a British citizen and married for over 4 years now to Wade, an American. Sharon and Wadeare both in their 50s.

Sharon returned to her home in the Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with the intention that Wade wouldfollow her after spending one last Christmas with his family in the US. Sharon set up a home for themand was successful in obtaining a job. Wade also had a job lined up for himself.

However, months later, Sharon is now in the UK, living alone on antidepressants for the first time inher life. She is an emotional wreck, having been told she needs to be earning 18,600 per year for atleast six months, before UKBA will consider Sharons husband joining her.

She cannot see how she will ever be able to earn that amount of money on her own, especially nowwith her own health in a poor condition meaning she is going to be unlikely to work the several jobs itwould take for her to earn that much. Wade was going to come visit her, cheer her up, however his

visitors visa was rejected on the grounds that he hadnt provided "sufficient proof that he had reasonto return to the States". They have put in a second application (also at some cost), with supportingletters from his boss, family, bank statements, letter from Sharon inviting him here.

The couple is now praying this time he will be allowed to visit his wife!!! Given their expenses andneed to save, Wade can only afford to stay 2 weeks but even that is better than not seeing each other atall.

Sharon is not well. Some days she just wants to crawl into a corner and die with the hopelessness of itall. She returned home to be with her family and to make a home here with her husband, but isfinding it is increasingly an impossible dream.

Wade and Sharon Wade and Sharons mum


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Phil & AmandaAs a British student, I cant live in my country with my wife,

because she is American and I dont earn 18,600 how many

British students do?!

Phil is a British citizen who met his now wife, Amanda in Scotland. Amanda is American and wasstudying at Stirling University when they met, nearly three years ago.

Their relationship survived a long-distance relationship when Amanda had to return home to finishunder undergraduate degree in the US. She got in to the Masters program at Stirling University forpostgraduate studies. She accepted this to be with her partner and on the basis that UK provided PostStudy Workvisas allowing those with degrees from recognised UK universities to work here for twoyears.

Amanda started her course in September 2011. In April 2012, the PSW route was closed, not just tonew students, but including those students who had come here on the basis of the PSW. Indeed,students who may have chosen to go to other countries over the UK if this had been made clear tothem in advance.

Facing a future apart, Phil knew the only way Amanda could stay in the UK was if she obtained a job.However work visas have all sorts of requirements (like the job has to pay 20,000 or more, etc).They became aware of the income requirement being brought in by the government for spouses;although not married at this point they realised that even if they did get married they would not beable to stay in the UK together. They did however get married in October 2011.

Unfortunately, they cannot leave for Americaimmediately as Phil is still finishing his degree; sothey are facing months or even years apart, asstudents dont tend to earn 18,600 (well except forthose with rich parents).

Because Phil fell in love with an American, he hasto leave his family and everything he knows in theUK to be with his wife. They both understand theneed to curb immigration, but it is absolutelyridiculous when the rules punish its own citizens tosuch an extent.

Amanda & Phil on their wedding day

Update: Amanda returned to USA in January 2013, and they are working on getting a visa for Phil to

move to the USA to live. Its likely it will be another year or so before this couple can live together

however. Amanda underwent surgery in March 2013, and Phil was luckily able to be with her then tohelp her through that. It does however raise the issue that if the situation had been reversed, Amanda

would have been unlikely to be there for Phil.


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Dee & OzanHe has supported me and my son through everything we have been

through... He would die to be there for us.

Dee is a British citizen living in Hemel Hempstead. She met Ozan, her husband, in May 2010 when he

was working as a lifeguard.

Dee quickly realised Ozan was a natural protector the way he engaged with Dee and her son from aprevious relationship. The three hit it off instantly; and the couples relationship developed to thestage that Ozan invited Dee to visit his home city, Istanbul. Over the next few months, Dee travelledfrequently to Turkey, their relationship strengthening each time.

In July 2011, Dee needed an emergency operation - a terrifying, sudden prospect. Every day, Ozan satwith her on Skype, providing support and helping to get her through this very difficult time in her life.During the hours and days they spent together, Ozan helped to guide her through the recovery.

Their love deepened to the point they knew they wanted to spend

the rest of their lives with each other. Once Dee recovered andwas allowed to travel, she married the man of her dreams inTurkey. It was a beautiful wedding.

The new family had to make a decision - where to live. Initially,they decided that Ozan was to apply for a visitor's visa to the UK,in order to decide if he could really be happy there. Unfortunately,devastatingly, Ozan's application was rejected - 'You have nothingto go back to', in the bureaucratic mindset of authority.

Ozan's mother has cancer - Ozan most certainly does have a life and a family in Turkey, but hispriority is his life partner, and his new family, as it should be.

Very quickly after hearing the news of the visitor visa rejection, Dee made a joyous discovery. Deeand Ozan were pregnant. Dees lawyer advised her that Ozan should not appeal the visitor visarejection, but should instead apply for a different kind of visa - a spousal visa.

Dee started to gather all the requirements and documentationthat are necessary for a spousal visa application. She was ableto build up the funds for the application. Ozan sat his Englishlanguage test, and passed first time. They were nearly there.

Unknown to the family, and with very little warning, in June2012strict new immigration guidelines were announced.There was never a debate in the House of Commons on thesenew rules; and yet they were to be implementedonly one

month later, in July 2012, giving very little opportunity for anyone - even experts in the field - toreact.

Dee was having a difficult pregnancy spending large bouts of time in hospital made even morepainful by not having her husband by her side. Made worse by the letter from UKBA stating that shedid not meet the income requirement.

This is despite Dee earning an annual salary of 16,300 - above the living wage; indeed, her familyincome would be even higher if Ozan were with her, working, supporting and providing for Dee and

his stepson. Pictures show the incredible artistic talent which would not go unrewarded in the UK. Ofcourse, this would also mean Dee and her son would be less likely to ever be dependent on the state.


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The government claims that the measures introduced reduce the benefits burden on the taxpayer. Dee'sexample disproves that; a family together, with two earners, is far less likely to have to claim benefits- now or at any time in the future - than a partner who is effectively forced to be a single mother,supporting a family by herself).

Since having their baby daughter, Dee has had to lower her hours at work due to childcare and says ifher husband was in the UK, her tax credits claim would be lower as she could share childcare with her

husband and Ozan would be working and earning good money too.

There is however zero room in the rules for any discretion or use of common sense, despite the factthat median incomes varyconsiderably across the country; many people even on lower incomes preferto livefrugally just as many despite being on higher incomes are in debt.

The point remains that forcing a family apart is in fact more likely to push people onto benefits adding economics to moral and common sense as reasons to make the rules fair.

Dees daughter also a British citizen - cannot be with her own father. Yes she talks to her daddyevery day via a computer screen very similar to the Skype Daddy video at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKrCUaKB4KM.

Dee's son has a hard time too; he just doesn't understand why he can't be with the man he considers afather-figure, as family.

Dee has no support except from extended family; she is working to support two children, and dealingwith another upcoming operation, all by herself.

Dee is very angry that her family has been divided through senseless rules and their ridiculousapplication. With good reason.

Dee, Ozan and their two children


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Sattar

As a rule, this pack contains stories from the perspective of British citizens, with very few exceptions. This is one

of them as it brought home the desperation and the cruelty of rules towards people who especially deserve a

level of respect that UKs immigration rules prevent us from providing; people who have raised their children

so that we, British citizens, can have a better quality of life.

Sattar is not a British citizen. Neither is his wife. He is however the father of a British citizen DrFaisal, living in London. The July 2012 rules introduced two conditions which prevent Sattar fromcontinuing to reside in the UK with his wife and son.

Sattar and his wife have been living in the UK for four years, initially on Sattars work visa. Howevertragedy struck when their youngest son living overseas died in an accident. It is not in the naturalcourse of things for parents to have to bury their own child and the resulting trauma took its toll onthis family.

Sattar and his wife were devastated; its something they naturally found hard to come to terms withand experienced psychological issues as a result. Sattar was unable to continue his work as usual,

becoming mainly financially dependent on Dr Faisal, living with him in London.

Under the previous rules, Sattar would have been able to switch from his work visa to obtaining Leaveto Remain under the family route, as parents of a British citizen settled in the UK as soon as he was65. However, in July 2012 when the rules changed, Sattar was four months short. Four months. Andnow hes facing a lifetime away from his family. A lifetime living in isolation, away from the son onwhom he is dependent; the son on who he has come to rely on more and more because of tragiccircumstances which no one could have foreseen.

Sattar feels that these immigration rules fail to recognise the relationship between parents and theirchildren...be the children adults themselves. As much as Sattar and his wife need their son, Dr Faisalhimself needs the emotional support only his parents can provide. This interdependency is

interestingly recognised and appreciated as far away as Australia a country renowned for strictimmigration rulesa country where parents of adult citizens and residents are encouraged to comejoin their family when they are younger, healthier and more able to integrate.

Dependency between family members is much more than what is portrayed as a one way matter only .

Unsurprisingly, Sattar states that if he or his wife were in such a precarious medical condition asrequired by the rules, to be already on their death bed, they would have no interest in immigration ifit was a matter of just waiting to die. They want to livelive with their son, support each other..allwith no recourse to public funds.

This is a classic example of the need to recognise that family bonds continue through grandparents,parents, adult children, grandchildren, and between siblings the value of these relationships shouldnot be obscured by portrayal as extended family of less significance.


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30 21.06

Wayne & DaisyI am forced to exercise my EU treaty rights to keep my family

united; even though this means being apart from my daughter from

a previous relationship for a long time.

Wayne is a British citizen. He met his wife Daisy in the way many 21st

century couples do..online. Ontheir first meeting, Wayne knew Daisy was the one.

At the time, Daisy was working in Denmark as an au pair. Theysoon became a couple but were even refused a visit visa. Daisymoved to Norway after receiving a job offer, when Wayne askedher to marry him. To his delight, she said yes!

As Daisy owns land in her homeland, Philippines, they decided tobuild a house there. She returned home for six months to manage

the wedding preparations (no mean feat!).They got married, lived together for the next

six months and are expecting their baby at theend of September 2013.

Wayne returned home to try and find work inTorbay. He wants his baby to grow up wherehe did. Although he doesnt think he will beable to meet the 18,600 income requirement,especially in the area where he lives, he ownshis four bedroomed - house outright nomortgage! He doesnt need a lot to live on -unlike someone with a huge rent or mortgage.

And hes self employed. He contributes to the economy supplying valuable trade skill as a handyman,

window cleaner and builder. Wayne works hard and so does Daisy.

Wayne proudly told us, Daisy is a college graduate midwife. She finished top of her class. She wasalso a sergeant major in her local reservists when she was at school. That one made me giggle as she isso small bless. The UK is in desperate need of midwives.

Wayne is considering exercising his free movement rights afforded to him by the EU, which would atleast allow the family to live together in all EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland. They are considering Denmark as they both have connections there. However Waynedoes not think its fair he has to live outside of his home country just because of its immigration rules.

Wayne has a 13 year old daughter in the UK from a previous relationship; with Daisy not allowedhere, Wayne would have to leave his daughter and the rest of his family. Daisy and his daughterwould be denied the chance to get to know each other even better.

Update:1) Waynes mother was diagnosed with cancer. She is

constantly in and out of hospital with complications and her wish

is to be able to live long enough to be able to welcome Daisy and

the baby into the family.

2) A very kind English lady visited Wayne after hearing of his

plight and offered him and Daisy accommodation in her house in

the French countryside, leading to a revision of their plans toDaisy and Waynes daughter

move to Denmark. The family is now arranging their move to France to exercise their EU treaty rights

in order to keep their family united.


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32 21.06

DamarI served in the British army, defended British lives and the British

way of life, and now am kept apart from my own wife and child... .

Damar is a Hong Kong-born British national, a former Gurkha soldier and now an IT professional and another victim of this governments new immigration rules impacting on families.

Damar lives in Hampshire and his initial plan was to move to UK with his wife and 10-year-olddaughter, both Filipino nationals, earlier this summer. The said law, however, prevents this, forcinghim to be apart from his family. A man who served in the British army, defending British lives and theBritish way of life, is now being prevented from having a life with his own wife and child.

Damar and his family decided to build a future in Britain in response to the IT skills shortage and toprovide his daughter with a better education. Damar has a science degree majoring in computing andnetworking (BScCN) and a Master of Science in Information Technology (MScIT). With over 12years of IT work experience, and 9 years of exemplary military service before that in the Brigade ofGurkhas, part of the British Army, he is confident that he would be a net contributor to the economyand community.

Damar is, and has always been, an asset not a burden, to UK. Its clear this unacceptably harsh lawwill prevent British citizens, including some who have served in the British army, from settling in theUK.

The pain of separation from his wife and daughter is indescribable and brings to the fore the ignoranceof the Home Secretary someone who does not, or chooses not to, understand the impact of the rulesshe has imposed and devastation being wreaked. The enforced separation has taken its toll on thephysical and psychological health of Damars family, with insomnia and depression taking a toll ontheir health.

This government, despite a manifesto claim, is neither family-friendly nor one with morals orcommon sense.

Damar is aware of British publics frustration with immigration abuse and sham marriages, but theGovernment has chosen to punish poorer and rural British citizens instead of genuinely targetingproblem areas. All are shocked that this government places financial conditions on love, family andhuman rights.

Damar is forced to maintain living expenses in UK and Hong Kong, two equally expensive places. Tosponsor his wife and daughter in the UK, he has to find a job with a salary of at least 22,400 perannum.

The Government is claiming the law is fair, pro-family, and beneficial to the British economy, reducesimmigrant numbers by hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands, and upholds the principles of

human rights. A complete farce. If preventing certain EU citizens British citizens with non-EUspouses from living together will reduce immigrant numbers to the level claimed, its wrong inprinciple and in its estimate of 'success'.

Damars desire to live here doesnt involve sponging on welfare benefits. Its to work and provide hisfamily with a better quality of life in the country he risked his life to defend.

This law is an attack on human rights (including a fundamental right to family life), and the UKsreputation as an advocate of human rights and open and fair democracy is fast being eroded. It hasclosed its door to its own citizens; it has, however, provided enough ground to be challenged in court,which it will be, and thus more taxpayers money will be frittered away.

How do such rules safeguard taxpayers and the British economy, as the Government has claimed?


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Aimie & David..I cant just move to another country to be with my fianc as I still have

three years left to complete my Masters degree. I cannot simply drop out of

university and earn 18600, as I dont have the work experience and would

not have the qualifications without the degree, to earn that figure. ..

Aimie is a British citizen and in the second year of her MSc (Chemistry) at University of Nottingham.She is 24 years old and engaged and married to David, a 25-year-old Masters graduate, recentlymajored in Advanced Computer Science, also at University of Nottingham.

Aimies husband is very employable; he isfluent in English, has a masters degree andhas experience in his field of work ofsoftware development. He would not berequesting access to public funds, norwould he become a burden on theeconomy.

Under the previous rules, the means tomeet the financial requirement todemonstrate that they would not need toaccess public funds. However, new rulesbrought in requiring Aimie to earn 18,600(regardless of Davids earnings) mean thiscouple is facing years apart. BecauseDa

Documents

BritCits June 2013