Braintree: "My husband is banned from the UK" (From Braintree and Witham Times)

Surely there should be other criteria to prevent someone coming into the country, other than just what their partner earns. If it's as simple as that then the doors are open to all (like they're not already!)

Well Yellow Peril, if somebody is earning over £18,600 in this country it means they are contibuting to the wealth of the country via their tax, and so , should be allowed to bring their spouse to this country.
Or would you like all the Doctors/Dentist, who have come to this country from somewhere else ,all go home??.

Why should they be allowed to bring someone into the country just because of that? We should have tougher stipulations than that (and I actually thought that we did). If all it takes is to earn a reasonably low salary to let any Tom, Dick or Harry in, then we are opening ourselves even wider for the system to be abused. I appreciate that there are many professionals who work in the UK under Visas and they are likely to be contributing a lot more to the country than a random Morocan who otherwise wouldn't be here.

I do feel for the girl being without her husband and I think merely being married to someone and earning less than twenty grand isn't nearly enough.

It is funny to see the different views about a wage of £18,600.
On one hand we have the young mum of the story saying " ‘it is one rule for the rich’ ", whilst on the other hand we have Yellow Peril saying "all it takes is to earn a reasonably low salary ".
I am not being judgemental on either people's views. I just think that if somebody is earning £18,600 then they are putting enough into the Countries coffers via Tax that their spouses will probably not become a drain on the country, and may even get a job them-selves.
I can't see anybody who earns £18,600 give that all up to go on the dole just because their spouse has joined them.

The amount of tax they pay on that kind of salary is minimal and is unlikely to cover the cost to support another person when you consider their needs for medical services, education, etc. They will no doubt get a variety of supplemental benefits from the State that would outweigh anything that might be contributed.

Yellow Peril,
£18600 per annum is broken down to:-
£2099 on Income Tax at 20%
£1650 Nat Insurance
Leaving £14851 .......
compare your own to that!! :-)

Good grief. Firstly, unless I misread sommat, you are saying that regardless of income, a family should be split unless there are strenuous reasons to allow a non-working partner into the country? That is senseless in that it fosters all sorts of societal issues! The percentage of immigrants that are parental spouses (or even simple 'partners') has to be incredibly small. In addition, the non-working spouse can spend more time being a parent. Something that a lot of kids lack. Surely the onus should be on those potential immigrants to prove their viability as an upright member of society rather than a leech and regardless of a specific income level.

I speak as one who emigrated to another country whose immigration laws are very tough but still allow spouses (and children) to accompany their working partners, regardless (and in spite of) their ability or inability to (legally) work. This young lady is absolutely right when she says there is one law for the wealthy and another for the rest: the colour of justice is indeed green.

Nonetheless, this IS the Brainless and Witless and the report is probably utterly off-kilter and missing salient information and so our judgment would therefore be equally off! :-)

* The percentage of NON-WORKING immigrants that are parental spouses (or even simple 'partners') has to be incredibly small.

As a non-EU partner of a UK citizen, I can assure all of you who think we will be a "drain on society" that it is stipulated in our visas that we have NO RECOURSE TO PUBLIC FUNDS FOR 5 YEARS. Stop using that as a reason for tearing apart couples and families. Before you start spouting anti-immigration rhetoric, please get your facts straight.

Well said, and welcome! I suppose the next step would be citizenship... The big question I have though, is "why?" there are many better places to pick to live other than the UK.

(I know, by the way, as I have been to them.)

Jade and anyone affected by these rules -

We have prepared an information pack which we are using to lobby different groups with stories of those affected by these rules.

Please email us at britcits@gmail.com , follow us at https://twitter.com/
britcits . For a summary of why we are opposed to the rules - http://www.britcits.
com. You may also wish to submit your story to the Family Immigration Alliance http://familyimmigra
tionalliance.wordpre
ss.com/

Solidarity!

Bit_Bytr wrote:
Good grief. Firstly, unless I misread sommat, you are saying that regardless of income, a family should be split unless there are strenuous reasons to allow a non-working partner into the country? That is senseless in that it fosters all sorts of societal issues! The percentage of immigrants that are parental spouses (or even simple 'partners') has to be incredibly small. In addition, the non-working spouse can spend more time being a parent. Something that a lot of kids lack. Surely the onus should be on those potential immigrants to prove their viability as an upright member of society rather than a leech and regardless of a specific income level.

I speak as one who emigrated to another country whose immigration laws are very tough but still allow spouses (and children) to accompany their working partners, regardless (and in spite of) their ability or inability to (legally) work. This young lady is absolutely right when she says there is one law for the wealthy and another for the rest: the colour of justice is indeed green.

Nonetheless, this IS the Brainless and Witless and the report is probably utterly off-kilter and missing salient information and so our judgment would therefore be equally off! :-)

Hey Bit... brainless as this paper may be, it's not off-kilter. There are many many families suffering from new law changes. Many Brits (like myself) who happen to fall in love with someone from outside the EU are finding themselves cornered. Either we meet ridiculous restrictions, or we leave the UK. I happen to have a first class degree and ample experience / post grad qualifications to soar above the £18,600 rule and get a good job and pay enough taxes for both me and my partner to live comfortably in the UK whether or not he is working. If only it were that simple. I am fed up with trying to keep up with rules that are constantly changing (9 retrospectively effective amendments in 6 months to a constitution that was brought in through the back door of parliament in between the Jubilee and the Olympics), and a racist and restrictive immigration system, so I have moved to Italy to exercise my rights as an EU citizen (apparently they are not valid in the UK for UK citizens...) Italy has gained me, UK lost me - for now at least, until Theresa May wakes up and sees that what she is doing is illegal.

If I understand correctly this lady and her husband lived together in Spain before she returned to Britain. There is special European Union regulation that allows spouses who enjoyed having a common household in another EU country to bring that spouse/husband with them when they return home. Let her go to a solicitor and ask for the procedure based on Directive 2004/38/EU.

To add to my comment: Under Directive 2004/38/EU married couples do NOT have to meet income requirements nor do a language test before being allowed to go and live with their European partner.

good job i hope they keep him out and anyone else coming into the uk to sponge of our system

For crying out loud. I thought that the rednecks had maybe grown up in the UK and gained a little more maturity. Apparently I was wrong about that! What an ill-educated, mindless, unintelligent, bigoted pillock! LOL

I think earning a specified wage before allowing a non-EU spouse to enter the UK is entirely reasonable. I only wish this rule was brought in years ago!! The very fact that this woman believes £18,600 is a rich person's wage speaks volumes, does it suggest she doesn't work at all? Is it fair that those who do work, often long hours at the detriment of their own families, should support those who don't? This support comes in the form of benefits, housing and health provision. We all have choices in life the question is whether people are prepared to deal with the consequences of their choices without being a burden on others.

I'm sure that this couple are deeply in love and not in one of those funny old marriages of convenience that I spent so long investigating whilst working with the Border Agency. That being the case, there is nothing to stop them living together in Morocco. Nuptual bliss, maritial harmony and sunshine. Who could want anything more?

wake up bit btry u fool

Rose77 wrote:
I think earning a specified wage before allowing a non-EU spouse to enter the UK is entirely reasonable. I only wish this rule was brought in years ago!! The very fact that this woman believes £18,600 is a rich person's wage speaks volumes, does it suggest she doesn't work at all? Is it fair that those who do work, often long hours at the detriment of their own families, should support those who don't? This support comes in the form of benefits, housing and health provision. We all have choices in life the question is whether people are prepared to deal with the consequences of their choices without being a burden on others.

Yes, Rose77, it does not speak volumes. It speaks volumes about YOUR perception of society! May I ask where you come from and what your education background is? If you are from around central London and you have a degree then perhaps... perhaps you can earn this much. Perhaps more. If you live in Wales, Scotland, or even somewhere that is not a Home County, then you can expect around £16,000 for a skilled / trained / management position. Unskilled jobs vary but would probably never conceivably reach the target. So basically, yes, you are saying that only rich people can marry non-EU members. MINIMUM WAGE that is, what the GOVERNMENT TELL YOU you can survive on , is around the £12.500 mark. Check out the job search engines if you still need convincing... Plus. Do note the comment above that tells you that non-EU spouses cannot claim public funds until they have been in the country for 5 years (and probably fed rather a lot into the system as a result). You also find that the percentage of immigrants who 'sponge' off of taxpayers is incredibly low. Most come from a culture where hard work and supporting a family is a given. I would do your research before posting comments that give away your ignorance of the subject. 'Dealing with the consequences of her actions' is a pretty harsh thing to say as well, I would check your words when posting about sensitive issues such as taking a father away from his child and leaving a woman as a single mum. And if this girl should 'deal with the consequences of her actions' then surely too so should the man who met Chinese lady whilst in China, and was happily married and settled in England with two kids (5 and 3) before the government sent her away, back to communist China. Surely the dreadful action of falling in love with a foreigner should indeed have harsh consequences? I have heard it IS a pretty bad crime, akin to murder and rape ans well worth extradition. Sorry to rant on but your naive and horrid comment compelled me to attack you. Actually, I am not sorry to rant on. You deserve it.

I felt I had to voice my opinion. I am the mother in this story you are talking about. Everyone has their right to an opinion and I must add I even understand why immigration have rules and I believe in a lot of them. However the law can be unfair, why should a person born outside the EU be treated different to those who were born within the EU, you can not choose where you are born.
Please do not assume the only criteria is meeting the minimum salary, there are a long list of requirements, My husband has passed 2 english exams and just to clarify we have met all the other requirements. Before reading through these comments, I was expecting a mixture of opinions.
I am grateful for those of you who have been supportive and nice to read comments from other people who genuinely understand the full extent of the immigration regulations as you have experienced it yourself.
To those of you who have made a quick opinion please consider my son is in the middle, he has to grow up to realize 'daddy' missed out because of the colour of his skin or the colour of his passport, or who much mummy earns?. I dont wish to leave the UK and i dont feel i should have to. I am a british citizen who should have a choice to remain in the UK and Is it a crime for wanting my family to be together?. we are all human, who decided it was ok to punish people for where they were born or how much they earn. I wish my son to be brought up within the UK education system, we want what is best for our son.
I wanted to comment for you all to understand part of the rules are my husband would not even be allowed to claim benefits so how he would be a 'drain on the state' is beyond me.
My husband is an honest, reliable hard working good person who wants to support his family so I can come off benefits, if he has difficulty in finding work he shall look after our son and I will work, If the both of us are together we can work round it. I dont wish anyone the heartache of being a single parent.
I wish my story was printed in more detail because to find out people have clearly assumed he is coming to the UK for our 'system' hurts me.
Maybe one day many of you may fall in love with someone out side the UK, maybe then more people with understand.
I wish you all knew the immigration laws in more depth like i do and wish you all knew the whole story regarding my situation then maybe some of you would not be so quick to judge.
Did any of you see you news recently 26,000 illegal migrants allowed to stay to clear backlog? As far as I understand these people were a small minority of the thousands of illegal visa overstayers given permission to stay, But my husband stood by every single rule within the law now he is being punished. CONSIDER THIS FAIR?

We have been punished.... WHY? for falling in love and choosing a country we want to live together.

Jade. Can I ask then what you were hoping to achieve by bleating to the local paper?

As I see it, you are a British Citizen with every right to the stay in the UK. Whilst abroad you met someone who is not a European Citizen and presumably you were aware of the difficulty this might present in the future. Still, you went ahead and got pregnant, knowing there would inevitably be hurdles to overcome.

I'm sure it doesn't feel at all fair that there are so many illegals in the country and unless you're in your particular situation, then quite possibly you might be against any more coming in. The country quite simply cannot sustain the increase in population. That's my stance I'm afraid. As I said, I feel sorry for you but there are other options.

The 'no recourse for public funds' passport stamp is complete tripe. You don't have to show a passport to obtain benefits - look at how many millions of Pakistani and indian immigrants are here that get straight on the benefits ladder.

Being married to a non-eu I can tell you it cost me thousands in Visa's and many interviews with the home office to let my wife stay here... in doing so I saw the preferential treatment Asian immigrants get - tick the 'muslim' checkbox and you get treated like royalty. Maybe this girl should check her form again she obviously missed this!

Its a shame these stringent rules are not applied to everyone - including EU migrants.

Dare I suggest maybe Jade should move to Morroco - I'm sure they would be just as generous in funding a foreigner through their benefits system.

So Jade, you're already on benefits so that is incentive for you to stay put and try your best to get your husband in. If he can't find work (what does he do?) then you say that you will find work. Why aren't you working now then in order to earn some money rather than live off others? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. As Venturoboy suggests, what's wrong with you moving to Morroco? Presumably, also you made the choice to separate your family by coming back to the UK when he didn't have clearance. If your child having a father is the most important thing to you then join him.

well said yellow

also why isnt your husband paying for u to live in the uk ? he knows he cant come here so he should be working in his own country to pay for his baby and wife here y should we pay

Well Jade, I hope instead of lamenting your situation like many of my clients to as well, you get into action. As I pointed out to you that due to your stay in Spain with your husband (if that was a common household) you have under that EU regulation the possibility to get your husband into the UK without having to fulfill income requirements. Of course you can go and fight windmills saying it is all so unfair of the government but no government has an solid obligation to let people have family life on their territory but can weigh the pro's and con's. That is jurisprudence of human right treaties (art 8 ECHR). But we made some deals in Europe to enable people to easily go work abroad and on that EU treaty the regulation you can put a claim on is based. So grab your act together and go to a lawyer. And in case you wonder what I am rambling about: I am one! And now you have a free advise what normal people have to pay for.

are u white english wytzia ?

No Gazash, she is from the netherlands...
Maybe you could help jade and her boyfriend setup in the netherlands eh Wytzia?

yes and keep her nose out of our country

Hello all.

Wytzia i take on board your comments and appreciate any free advice, I do have a lawyer who are specialists with immigration our case in progress is under the law you are suggesting. I pay for my advice I have not expected anything for free, I went to the local paper for another way of voicing my situation not for pitty. I am trying every avenue, I have nothing to lose. Thanks for you comments

I realise my situation would cause a mix in opinion but i have not gone public for an argument with racist people. I am doing many things in fighting my case.
As for Venturoboy, The yellow peril and Gazash as you are so quick to judge my life may i ask you something.... If you all have so much spare time on a Monday morning to sit and write numerous racist comments on this page does it suggest none of you work, if so i suggest you do more work, after all your boss is paying you to work, there are genuine people seeking work that would respect the job if they were given the chance.
I have nothing further to say, None of you know the whole story and I have better more important things to do rather than retaliating to you all.

I'm my own boss - I work hard and pay taxes, have never received or claimed benefits and to be quite honest am sick of supporting the workshy and immigrants that are here to sponge off the system - if thats racist so be it.

well done you. But dont assume just because i am not working at the moment then i want to be a drain on the system. I have worked since a young age and have only been out of employment since becoming a mum, I am trying my hardest to get a job. I too believe there are many people within the Uk who are milking the system, but I am not one of them, Dont group me in the same catergory.

so why is your husband not supporting u and u baby ?

do you know the economy in Spain. ? If you were to of met my husband maybe then you would understand how fusrtated he is, more than anything he wants to be able to support us, it kills him he cant. The economy is Spain is ridiculous one of the highest hit badly by the recession, where ever you go you see people digging out in the bins searching for food and people begging there hand sitting on the streets, Spain is terrible. I appreciate England is not at its best but there is work here, there are far more opportunities, apprenticeships ..options. I have not once suggested my husband is coming to the UK for the system and i personally can not wait to get off it, the stigma attached. We want our son to grow up in England. I do not wish to be arguing with people i just feel so judged all the time when no one truely understands the extent of the situation. My husband is a good man with a good heart. Spain has simply ruined our family. Why would i wish to return. My husband and I just need to be given the chance, we both want to work and be a normal family.

"venturoboy" may have a point there Jade. Come to Holland. Our economy is still good and there is a big British expat community with British schools and all and lots of English speaking jobs. And the best thing is that with your husband in Spain he can just make an appointment at our immigration and he gets a stamp he is legal here as you are here living with him as EU-citizen.

As for Venturoboy and Gazash: when you give someone legal advice it does not mean that you like the law as it is. But the law is there for us all. To change a law the only option is to vote in elections or be an active party member. Our Dutch system is very strict with income requirements and obligated language lessons and exams. Hoping that by doing that new people will not be a burden to society. And I am all for that. But if there are legal possibilities it is only fair to point them out to someone. As the law is equal for us all. And sometimes people are in peril because they do not know the legal options they have. And you never know when we ourselves would end up in situations like that.

mmm should thought about all this before having a baby, we dont want him here as its one less job for us english or one more mouth to feed on the state, u really should be back there with u husband either working there or claiming dole there, sorry if you think this is hard but thats how 99% of us english feel about it, u miss him so much go back there ,if u love someone that much u would put up living in there country no matter what,it seems to me u two had a plan

OK, from a practical point of view, Jade, what are your plans to get back into work and what kind of work will your husband be actively seeking once he is here? Perhaps someone here can help either of you find employment. I recruit for a City law firm and often find it incredibly difficult to attract good quality, hard working people who are prepared to travel to the City and put in a hard day's graft. I don't think I have received an application from you.

Wytzia you have a good point the immigration system in the UK is an absolute joke. Jade I hope you find a way forward, maybe Holland is the answer.

This does seem harsh that this family are being kept apart and yet so many Europeans can come into the country. The next ones will be Romanians...

If you want to live together go back to Spain, or Morocco ...

It does make me laugh this problem was all created when BAD OLD BLIGHTEY forced you to live aprt when you 'returned home' ...

This is the law, so it's not even worthy of a news story and you should've looked into it more before arriving here and complaining... the fact that you're willing to keep a child away from it's parent it worse.

I just want to say that having read Jades story and her responses to the varied comments, if there is an employer out there looking for someone with great communication skills and who has a great work ethic, they really should be looking no further than this young lady.

Just a Thought (and this aimed at you and not at Jade). Are you being serious? I know this is just a comment thread but there is some terrible spelling and grammar going on there.

flower_fairy wrote:

Rose77 wrote:
I think earning a specified wage before allowing a non-EU spouse to enter the UK is entirely reasonable. I only wish this rule was brought in years ago!! The very fact that this woman believes £18,600 is a rich person's wage speaks volumes, does it suggest she doesn't work at all? Is it fair that those who do work, often long hours at the detriment of their own families, should support those who don't? This support comes in the form of benefits, housing and health provision. We all have choices in life the question is whether people are prepared to deal with the consequences of their choices without being a burden on others.

Yes, Rose77, it does not speak volumes. It speaks volumes about YOUR perception of society! May I ask where you come from and what your education background is? If you are from around central London and you have a degree then perhaps... perhaps you can earn this much. Perhaps more. If you live in Wales, Scotland, or even somewhere that is not a Home County, then you can expect around £16,000 for a skilled / trained / management position. Unskilled jobs vary but would probably never conceivably reach the target. So basically, yes, you are saying that only rich people can marry non-EU members. MINIMUM WAGE that is, what the GOVERNMENT TELL YOU you can survive on , is around the £12.500 mark. Check out the job search engines if you still need convincing... Plus. Do note the comment above that tells you that non-EU spouses cannot claim public funds until they have been in the country for 5 years (and probably fed rather a lot into the system as a result). You also find that the percentage of immigrants who 'sponge' off of taxpayers is incredibly low. Most come from a culture where hard work and supporting a family is a given. I would do your research before posting comments that give away your ignorance of the subject. 'Dealing with the consequences of her actions' is a pretty harsh thing to say as well, I would check your words when posting about sensitive issues such as taking a father away from his child and leaving a woman as a single mum. And if this girl should 'deal with the consequences of her actions' then surely too so should the man who met Chinese lady whilst in China, and was happily married and settled in England with two kids (5 and 3) before the government sent her away, back to communist China. Surely the dreadful action of falling in love with a foreigner should indeed have harsh consequences? I have heard it IS a pretty bad crime, akin to murder and rape ans well worth extradition. Sorry to rant on but your naive and horrid comment compelled me to attack you. Actually, I am not sorry to rant on. You deserve it.

Oh dear, I think I may have hit a nerve!! National minimum wage currently stands at £6.19 for a person aged 21 and above, assuming £18,600 is based on a 40 hour week then that equates to £8.94 per hour and I can assure you (given that I live and work in mid Essex) that this wage and higher is received by many of the staff I employ and no, before you ask, they are not all managers! As for this child being taken away from their father, this is an emotive comment and somewhat ridiculous as from what I have read, the mother chose to return to the UK. I stand by my original comment that we all have choices to make in life. Decisions should be carefully considered, all facts determined and the short and long term consequences carefully considered. As much as love is powerful,I do believe this young woman has been incredibly naive and should not expect the UK government to accommodate her desire to live with her husband if they do not meet the current criteria. I must say your assumptions of me have put a smile on my face - I have never been called naive before! I am glad you retracted your apology, you are after all entitled to your opinion, may I suggest you allow others to have theirs?