tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post4424335053044705011..comments2024-02-20T07:57:47.756-08:00Comments on Carol Hedges: Once Upon a NightmareCarol Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-51344718983466960002018-09-25T05:11:40.348-07:002018-09-25T05:11:40.348-07:00My husband (common law married according to Canadi...My husband (common law married according to Canadian law, we couldn’t be married in the UK unless he got indefinite leave to remain, because he was there on an ancestry visa) had the devil of a job to renew his ancestry visa in 2015.<br /><br />I've had to explain this to several people who didn't see my posts and comments about it. Facebook probably hid the posts....<br /><br />My partner and I got handfasted (Pagan wedding which has no legal status in England and Wales) but could not be legally married because he doesn't have indefinite leave to remain. He is on an ancestry visa. His grandparents were British. That means he gets to apply for a five year visa. Because he was out of the country for a year during the first ancestry visa, he had to apply for another one, rather than going straight to indefinite leave to remain. <br /><br />If we had got married in an another country and applied for a spousal visa, it could take up to six months out of the country and a lot of money to switch visas. A lot of money. And paperwork.<br /><br />In 2015, he had to go out of the country when his first ancestry visa renewal was refused because they mistook it for an application under the rules regarding living together, and then the appeal was refused because they said it was a day late when it wasn't (they forgot that New Year's Day was a Bank Holiday). That whole kerfuffle cost thousands and a lot of stress. Part of the cost was £1000 for the next five years' use of the NHS, even though he would be paying National Insurance for the next five years.<br /><br />The rule about not being allowed to be married unless the foreign partner has indefinite leave to remain was justified when it was first introduced by saying it was to prevent forced marriages with people from other countries. Seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut to me. <br /><br />None of this has anything whatsoever to do with the spousal income rules - that's a feature of the spousal visa system. <br /><br />Furthermore, the UK’s immigration rules are draconian and labyrinthine and deliberately designed to keep people out. Oh and every immigrant from a non-EU country has "no recourse to public funds" stamped in their visa: that means no benefits if they become unemployed. And they all have to cough up £1000 for the NHS.<br /><br />As a result of all this, we moved to Canada. It cost me £600 for the visa and £600 for an immigration consultant. That’s all. <br />Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-81055119401054283952017-07-06T23:51:22.316-07:002017-07-06T23:51:22.316-07:00Anna's oldest was born only 2 years after she ...Anna's oldest was born only 2 years after she moved here so she is not eligible either. You need to live here for 5 years before your baby's birth to get British nationality (but you need to prove that you were working.Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-45648023682503858312017-07-06T23:47:52.751-07:002017-07-06T23:47:52.751-07:00The problem over children born in this country is ...The problem over children born in this country is complex: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT<br /><br />From one of our Lawyers (UKCEN https://www.facebook.com/groups/132887737155325/)<br /><br />One important point relating to the current system of EEA Permanent Residence and the government’s proposed “Settled Status” is in relation to children born in the UK to an EU citizen parent.<br /><br />At the moment, the current system of EEA Permanent Residence allows an applicant to be issued a Permanent Residence “acquired date”, back as far as 30 April 2006.<br />This then means that any child born in the UK to the EU citizen could automatically apply for a British passport – if born AFTER the “acquired date”.<br /><br />We do not know if the new Settled Status will allow applicants to have an earlier acquired date but as this is only to become effective in 2018 or 2019 it seems unlikely that you could have an earlier acquired date for a status that didn’t previously exist.<br /><br />As an example – Tom is born in the UK on 1 July 2008 to French citizen parents. Tom’s mother, Louise, has worked in the UK from 2000 to 2008 and applies successfully for Permanent Residence in 2017. She is issued Permanent Residence with an acquired date of 30 April 2006. Tom is now deemed to be a British citizen from birth and easily applies for a UK passport.<br /><br />However, the situation is potentially very different if Louise declines to apply for Permanent Residence and instead waits until 2019 to apply for Settled Status. She is granted Settled Status on 1 May 2019 and there is no prior “acquired date”. Tom now has to apply for registration as a British citizen before he can apply for a passport. The registration fee (in 2017) is currently £973.<br /><br />Louise is now very upset that she didn’t apply for Permanent Residence in 2017 as advised by UKCEN and now she has to pay a lot more money.<br /><br />If one of the parents is British then the above doesn't apply. It then depends on who is British (mother or father), whether they were married at the time of child's birth or subsequently.<br />Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-60263596270796947722017-07-02T10:04:36.530-07:002017-07-02T10:04:36.530-07:00and that the current government does not call out ...and that the current government does not call out strongly enough..mainly because, like Hitler's Government, it suits their purpose to have a scapegoat.Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-6991751236132360682017-07-02T09:58:54.337-07:002017-07-02T09:58:54.337-07:00Just terrible, I'm so horrified, and sorry for...Just terrible, I'm so horrified, and sorry for the people involved. Appalled at the xenophobia that Brexit seemed to legitimise.Julia Gibbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04329377424036314411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-5400022704941484322017-07-02T05:28:48.337-07:002017-07-02T05:28:48.337-07:00Yes, there was bound to be another 'nice' ...Yes, there was bound to be another 'nice' and 'short' form. Thank you! I'll start looking into this for us properly after the summer. I also have an 11 year old son who was born here and who will also have to apply for citizenship - but because he was born here it works differently and we will 'only' pay (like your friends) about £1000 for this privilege that wasn't necessary at all until now. His citizenship is much more important to me than my own, after all he has lived all his life here and should be able to have all options open to him!<br />Have you seen Monday's edition of Dispatches on C4, things were quite well explained there. Best of luck to your friends and thank you for giving all of this more exposure! Sylkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02809798935591177172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-44707740184352592982017-07-02T04:07:38.210-07:002017-07-02T04:07:38.210-07:00Believe me, so do I. I have applied for restored G...Believe me, so do I. I have applied for restored German citizenship, as my Jewish grandparents were murdered at Auschwitz. The thoughgt that my grandchildren may not be 'allowed' to live/study/work abroad horrifies me. Also, Brexit means the SECOND time my family has been deprived of its citizenship...both by rightwing xenophobic governments! Thanks for your comments. Tragic that you have had to make them!Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-69403670757811643402017-07-02T03:55:11.656-07:002017-07-02T03:55:11.656-07:00I have just returned to the UK from France where m...I have just returned to the UK from France where my husband and I have lived for the past 6 years. We had several reasons for returning and Brexit was one of them. Our friends and neighbours were very supportive but people who didn't know us were not. They made it quite clear to us that they will be glad to see the UK leave because, in their opinion, we have become (or perhaps always were) a nation of small-minded selfish people with "little islander" mentality. At the time, we felt hurt by that but, having read your story and others like it, I am beginning to think there is some truth in their view. I never thought I would feel ashamed of my country. But I do now.Hache L Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09744375949610054750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-68331146633411254012017-07-02T00:25:14.858-07:002017-07-02T00:25:14.858-07:00COMMENT from a Facebook group: Comment on Forum fo...COMMENT from a Facebook group: Comment on Forum for EU citizens Facebook group :<br />"I don't like to rant but now I really have to! I wanted to fill in the citizenship application-got the permanent residency status in Jan-and found out that after teaching 10years here and passing 3 Cambridge certificates including the proficiency one , I still have to pass the new life skills test because the others are not valid! I wonder how I survived here employed without that test! Honestly who made these applications haven't met real people! Rant over!"Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-61915900884597722382017-07-02T00:23:30.956-07:002017-07-02T00:23:30.956-07:00Anna replies to your comment: Saw the comments on ...Anna replies to your comment: Saw the comments on your blog! The comment regarding being family members or not. By a lawyer on UKCEN (the Facebook page she recommended) it was confirmed that you would have had to be married for 5 years before your qualifying period. If not married then a certificate of sorts-can't remember exactly, like a civil partnership declaration 5 years before your qualifying period . Bills and joint accounts are Not enough.<br /><br />Found it :<br />you need an EEA Registration Certificate for 5 years as an unmarried partnerCarol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-78892601817278899502017-07-01T18:57:58.634-07:002017-07-01T18:57:58.634-07:00Dreadful way to treat hard working people.Dreadful way to treat hard working people.Helen from Hobarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03628963168654748707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-13427848316464615202017-07-01T10:11:45.617-07:002017-07-01T10:11:45.617-07:00What a messy, complicated life Mrs.May is involved...What a messy, complicated life Mrs.May is involved in! Nothing, of course, compared to the plight of so many people caught up in the dreadful web. People who treat 'foreigners' as they do should be ashamed. Next time they need a hospital or some service, just think about the person providing that service. Where they come from/the colour of their skin, is irrelevant.Hang your head in shame. Just what is happening to so-called 'society' in the UK?Joy Lennickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16882313228011015103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-88956342161187583442017-07-01T04:30:59.042-07:002017-07-01T04:30:59.042-07:00Mir fehlen die Worte...Mir fehlen die Worte...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07086107947384034892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-28294008782632763232017-07-01T03:18:55.429-07:002017-07-01T03:18:55.429-07:00Thanks for this..yes I have conflated the overall ...Thanks for this..yes I have conflated the overall costs ...I think people believe citizenship applications are free. And the legal ref is known to them ..thanks againCarol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-8275509022717380902017-07-01T03:12:18.040-07:002017-07-01T03:12:18.040-07:00Sorry, from my own research as an EU citizen (like...Sorry, from my own research as an EU citizen (like Anna an unmarried, non-working family member of a working EU citizen) into PR I think something got mixed up here. The PR application is only £65 for EU citizens but to then apply for citizenship will get you to the number you quote and most likely even more, paying for postage, language test, life in the UK test and more. For non-EU citizens the cost is different and much higher. Also marriage has nothing to do with being counted as a family member or not - but of course I will have to prove that I was living with my then partner (now husband). There is a special Facebook group that Anna and Stefan should join (UKCEN), there are lawyers who can advise them properly.Sylkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02809798935591177172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-90861470437441817172017-07-01T02:39:44.488-07:002017-07-01T02:39:44.488-07:00I already knew about the bureaucracy and cost of a...I already knew about the bureaucracy and cost of applying for citizenship from a Brazilian friend who is married to an Englishman and she was told that some of her documents were out of date by the time they got round to looking at them so she had to send replacements within 2 days by registered post. After 6 years in England she is so disillusioned, especially since Brexit when she started to experience abuse, that she is divorcing her husband and moving back to Brazil. Lizanne Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10929383263680527758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-79462199133125681262017-07-01T01:21:32.767-07:002017-07-01T01:21:32.767-07:00Sweetie, what a lovely comment. I am going to get ...Sweetie, what a lovely comment. I am going to get Anna to read the comments in a couple of days.Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-4689892267265810742017-07-01T01:20:49.874-07:002017-07-01T01:20:49.874-07:00Utterly appalling¬! You know my family background,...Utterly appalling¬! You know my family background, Jo..I am beginning to think we are walking backwards..only this time it's EU citizens, not Jews!Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-84653256568349100862017-07-01T00:54:02.228-07:002017-07-01T00:54:02.228-07:00How will we manage without these hard-working and ...How will we manage without these hard-working and undemanding young people? If we send them away who will do the low-wage jobs they are happy enough to fill? If this forces wages up (and caring SHOULD be better paid, like a million pounds a year plus bonuses!) then costs go up for the rest of us - fair but hard to manage. And, these young immmigrants who are "overloading our NHS" and "clogging up our schools" (naughty people!) are actually the ones who are having families and providing the next generation of workers to sustain our economy. Look forward to a future with many more elderly (now they really do cost money in the NHS!) no carers and an economy short of workers to pay for it all. Doesn't sound like Utopia to me! Good luck Anna, Stefan and your babies. Thank you for being here, we need you.Daisyatthedairyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04939875484480123172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-48394897640507958822017-07-01T00:50:28.881-07:002017-07-01T00:50:28.881-07:00I know it's no consolation, but they are not a...I know it's no consolation, but they are not alone. My lovely neighbour is Swedish - she married an Englishman, and he died some years ago. She's lived here for over 40 years. She's now in her 70s - and is frightened. She's been verbally abused in town, just for her accent. The form has defeated her. She has no children - her only family is a niece in America and nephew wandering the world. She feels she has no choice but to go back to Sweden. This is just so wrong.JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.com