Help to reunite husband & wife
Donation protected
As many of you may know, I am facing issues with my UK visa. Although Tony and I are married, the UK government is making it very difficult to obtain a spousal visa. This all started when I turned to the immigration department (Home Office) for help regarding what visa to apply for. Unfortunately, you can’t trust the people who decide on these visas to give reliable advice and I ended up applying for a refugee visa. I later found out from my lawyer that my money COULD have been refunded and I could have been made aware of my mistake, but the English government decided to keep my £1,000 (just over $1,300) and reject the visa. It appears that rather than considering the well being of its citizens, the English government care mainly about money.
After speaking with a lawyer, I found the correct visa to apply for and applied just in time for the prices to be raised. This again, was rejected. This whole process has taken close to 2 years while I was not allowed to work and made to ‘check in’ to the police station every month. Now, I have been forced to return to the US to apply for a third (and hopefully final) visa but the prices are much more expensive in the US. On top of all this, I needed to hire a lawyer since I found out the hard way that without a lawyer it is almost impossible to receive a visa. So I am currently being separated from my husband and struggling to come up with the visa/legal fees that are piling up. Please just imagine getting married and being told that because you were not born in a certain country, you can no longer live happily with your spouse. That is the reality of the British immigration system and it happens more often than you think. There are cases involving children who have never met one of their parents due to the hostile environment surrounding immigrants within the UK.
To make matters worse, although Tony lives in Edinburgh and that is where we plan to settle, it is the English government who is in control of whether or not I can immigrate to Scotland. They even suggested to my husband that he move his business out of the country - to a country that does not have a high demand or any demand for his trade. So not only does it appear the British government don’t care about any immigrant/ex-pat wanting to live and work (using the degree from a UK university that I paid for) and contribute to the economy, they also don’t care about their own citizens and small businesses. If you could donate anything, I would greatly appreciate it. The Home Office has already wasted 2 years of Tony and mine’s lives and I want to get back to Scotland as soon as possible in order to properly start our lives together as a married couple. Any small amount will make a big difference considering the visa cost, lawyer fees, and other miscellaneous fees involved in obtaining paperwork for the visa are adding up quickly to over $3,000 not to mention the fact that Tony and I have already spent close to that amount on previous applications. Anything would be greatly appreciated as being separated has had a terrible impact on Tony’s mental health, mainly his depression and anxiety. As someone who has studied in the UK, paying out of pocket for my degree, it is disgraceful to be told that while I qualify for a student visa (more money for the economy) I some how do not qualify to use that degree to live and work and be with my husband in Scotland.
After speaking with a lawyer, I found the correct visa to apply for and applied just in time for the prices to be raised. This again, was rejected. This whole process has taken close to 2 years while I was not allowed to work and made to ‘check in’ to the police station every month. Now, I have been forced to return to the US to apply for a third (and hopefully final) visa but the prices are much more expensive in the US. On top of all this, I needed to hire a lawyer since I found out the hard way that without a lawyer it is almost impossible to receive a visa. So I am currently being separated from my husband and struggling to come up with the visa/legal fees that are piling up. Please just imagine getting married and being told that because you were not born in a certain country, you can no longer live happily with your spouse. That is the reality of the British immigration system and it happens more often than you think. There are cases involving children who have never met one of their parents due to the hostile environment surrounding immigrants within the UK.
To make matters worse, although Tony lives in Edinburgh and that is where we plan to settle, it is the English government who is in control of whether or not I can immigrate to Scotland. They even suggested to my husband that he move his business out of the country - to a country that does not have a high demand or any demand for his trade. So not only does it appear the British government don’t care about any immigrant/ex-pat wanting to live and work (using the degree from a UK university that I paid for) and contribute to the economy, they also don’t care about their own citizens and small businesses. If you could donate anything, I would greatly appreciate it. The Home Office has already wasted 2 years of Tony and mine’s lives and I want to get back to Scotland as soon as possible in order to properly start our lives together as a married couple. Any small amount will make a big difference considering the visa cost, lawyer fees, and other miscellaneous fees involved in obtaining paperwork for the visa are adding up quickly to over $3,000 not to mention the fact that Tony and I have already spent close to that amount on previous applications. Anything would be greatly appreciated as being separated has had a terrible impact on Tony’s mental health, mainly his depression and anxiety. As someone who has studied in the UK, paying out of pocket for my degree, it is disgraceful to be told that while I qualify for a student visa (more money for the economy) I some how do not qualify to use that degree to live and work and be with my husband in Scotland.
Organizer
Juli Rose Duffy
Organizer
Reading, PA
