In February 2005 The Home Office brought about new regulations forcing all non European Nationals to ask ‘permission’ before getting married.
Those non EU Nationals married in the United Kingdom before February of this year may classify themselves as being amongst ‘one of the lucky’ few who managed to marry the person they love, however it seems that even before these new laws were passed marriage to an non-EU member didn’t count for very much in Britain anyway.
The shocking reality of being married to an non-EU member in Britain today is a life of forced uncertainty, dominated by the imminent threat of your loved ones being deported and returned to a country where they most probably face certain death. Astonishingly the ’Right to Marry and found a family’ as outlined in Article 8 of The Human Rights Act is certainly not a right that exists for many British women today.
Jessica and Hossein
Hossein & Jessica Siavoshy were married in 2003 before the passing of the laws. Their marriage has been viewed by the Home Office as being ‘precarious’ and not justification for allowing Hossein to remain in the United Kingdom.
Hossein came to the U.K from Iran in October 2000. He fled Iran awaiting sentencing after having spent some months in prison where he was interrogated and tortured. Upon arrival in he U.K Hossein claimed political asylum on the basis of the severe torture he had endured. Despite the atrocities that are widely known to occur in Iran under the oppression Islamic regime, Hossein’s claims were rejected by the Home Office and subsequently so was his application to remain in the United Kingdom on the basis of his marriage to Jessica.
The Home Office claim that Hossein must travel back to Iran and apply for an entry clearance, and that Jessica is free to accompany him at public expense, however a requirement of Jessica travelling to Iran is that she must convert to Islam!
Should Jessica remain in the United Kingdom and Hossein travel back to Iran alone, the Home Office are forcing this couple, married under British law to be indefinitely separated since there is no guarantee that Hossein will be granted entry clearance, one of the requirements of which is that he should have a wife living in the U.K whom is able to financially support him, but as Jessica has had to give up her job as a Teaching Assistant due to the negative effects their case is having on the mental health, the couple cannot meet this requirement.
Jessica and Hossein’s lives have been entirely devastated by the Home Office’s decision, and astonishingly they are not alone.
Heather and Shah are to attend an appeal tribunal on August 9th in a bid to persuade the Home Office to allow Shah who is from Afghanistan to remain in the United Kingdom on the grounds of their marriage. In a similarly astounding conclusion, the Home Office insist that Heather can easily accompany Shah to Afghanistan, and therefore ‘there shall be no interference with his right to family life under Article 8‘. This is a ludicrous statement as the Foreign Office strongly advises against any British Citizen travelling to Afghanistan due to the high risk of terrorism. Absolutely no consideration has been taken by the Home Office of the extreme dangers that a western woman living in Afghanistan would face.
Not only this, but there is currently no facility in place within Afghanistan for issuing entry visas, creating an obviously insurmountable obstacle for Heather and Shah should they travel to Afghanistan.
Similarly Jenifer, married to an Iranian man Ali who is also facing deportation have been informed on numerous by the Home Office that Jenifer could easily be expected to move to Iran with Ali and that despite believing their marriage to be genuine Ali’s application was refused, without any opportunity for the couple to state the facts of their case.
These women are expected to give up their cultures, their lives and all the freedoms they are allowed to exercise in Britain as women in order to apparently ‘maintain effective immigration control’ as mentioned by a Home Office representative.
The problems faced by these British married couples are in spite of the grave dangers that await their husbands on return to their countries. The men have been imprisoned and tortured. The British embassy informs travellers that ’Westerners have been a target of kidnappers in Iran’ and that ‘all travel to the border areas with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq’ are strongly advised against. However in spite of these strong statements advised to the rest of Britain it appears that those women who just happen to have fallen in love with an Iranian or Afghan man must face these consequences, and in fact the government is offering to pay their airfare to do so!
Links:Jessica & Hossein Siavoshy’s official website
Details of Shah and Heather’s campaign
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