David Cameron: STOP THIS INJUSTICE

My name is Lorraine Marx, I met my husband in 2000, he is American and an Engineer by profession. Always in a global role that involved lots of travel, since 2006 he has spent periods at our home in the UK when not working.

In 2011 in England my husband was diagnosed with Leukemia (A.L.L.) and our world has fallen apart since his diagnosis. With my husband seriously ill in hospital, we realised our mistake in not filing for his residency, a mistake that has surely come back to haunt us. The Immigration Website is a minefield and as you cannot actually talk to anyone, you have to try and deduce what form is applicable for such unusual circumstances. My husband applied to have ‘an extension of stay’, which appeared to be the most appropriate avenue, as he was seriously ill and advised not to travel.

For anyone who has had the misfortune to experience the immigration system they will know, it isn’t a pleasant experience. It is a faceless body, you cannot talk to a human being. Indeed the immigration department do not appear to have any humanity and I have wondered on occasions if it is entirely serviced by computers.

Six months after handing over my husband’s passport and frustrated by the lack of any response of any description, I wrote to my local MP Andrew Tyrie to see if he could help. I was shocked by the reply I received from the Immigration Department/ Home Office. The letter expressed the heavy workload and the ‘unexpected number of applications’ and said that the department can ‘expedite applications, where there is a genuine need to do so’. I wondered what on earth these genuine reasons could be? I cannot think of something more serious than life threatening Cancer.

Miraculously my husband survived a long period in intensive care, but then disaster struck again as his application for leave to remain was refused. The letter stated that he had to leave the country forthwith with no possible redress and he was basically escorted to the exit gate at Gatwick airport.

Optimistic that returning back to England to be with his wife and daughter would now be a formality taking around a month, he filed from America and paid a premium for his case to be heard early. Frustratingly, everything for us had taken twice as long as information posted on the internet by the Immigration department has led us to believe.

Just before Christmas I was asked if I wanted to go to the press, I declined having faith in the British Justice system. At a Court in Birmingham three weeks ago a Judge upheld our appeal and granted my husband permission to come into the country. It was such a relief, I was pleased to think my husband was finally going to be allowed back into the country and we would be re-united. My elation was short lived as on Saturday I received a letter to inform me that the Home office are now appealing against the decision, another sleepless night ensued. During this sleepless night, I considered my only possible course of action is to bring this situation into a larger arena and get the great British Public and any anyone else who feels and injustice is occurring here if only for my daughter’s sake.

Whilst I certainly understand the need for the British Tax payer to be protected, I am such a Tax payer. I left school and joined Her Majesties Royal Navy where I served for fourteen years, attaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer. After leaving the Navy I set up my first business, then another. These businesses have employed people and I have paid a lot of personal taxes. Corporation Tax and collected VAT, no matter, the representative from the Home Office did not see any reason why my daughter and I cannot go and live in America, I was upset by this suggestion. I have contributed much to this country and there are so many people living here who have absolutely no connections with this country whereas my daughter and I are both settled here and we are after all BRITISH CITIZENS.

For the record my husband is living out of a suitcase, at the generosity of his sister in Tennessee, should she put us up as well? Not that we have permission to live in USA anyway, although the Home Office Representative didn’t seem to be aware of this.

Apart from Child Benefit I haven’t received a penny from the British Government and I do not intend to start now. I have signed to say I understand that my husband is not entitled to any support from the Government for five years and I am quite happy with that. . My daughter has had to live without her Daddy for almost a year now. It looks like being some considerable time before we will be together again, we are completely stuck in a vacuum and have been since my husband’s Leukaemia diagnosis.

I would like the Home office and all politician’s to consider how it will be for my daughter, if my husband (now in remission) contracts Leukemia again, would they like to be the ones to say to my daughter that they are sorry that she didn't get to see her Daddy very much for the last years of his life? She is the real victim in all of this.

What about my human right and my daughters human rights to live as a family unit in peace?

David Cameron talks about the ‘Big Society’, about children growing up in a family unit, well I have been a Cruse Bereavement Volunteer since 2010, helping people during what is essentially a very difficult time in their lives. I have volunteered on the Schools PTA association, raising money for much needed equipment, I am a good citizen, I contribute to this Society of which I am a part of..... and a great deal of good it has done me and my daughter (not). Do I sound very bitter, well right now I am.

I don’t know what else to do My MP has responded by saying he cannot do anything as it is now a Legal issue, which means we sit in suspense waiting for the paperwork to slowly reach the top of each pile, who knows how long we will have to wait?

If any of you feel that we are being treated unfairly, please sign our petition. I am very much hoping to get this into the public awareness to somehow speed up the very long and painful process that we continue to endure. Below is my husband’s take on this story and it makes for interesting reading, so if you have the time..............

Let me first introduce myself.....I am Ralph Marx. I am an American citizen hailing from the Seattle area in the US. I have a strong Swedish background as my Mother is from Sweden and most of my relatives live there. I even earned my Masters degree (Chemical Engineering) at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Without going into depth, I have probably lived more than 20 years of the last 30 in Europe (Sweden, Netherlands, and UK). My work has taken me all over the world. At different times during my career I have been responsible for business in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Being able to travel is obviously an important component of my work. Having to turn in my passport for "indefinite" periods of time means not being able to work for an undefined amount of time.

You have read some of our "story". Basically, after successfully appealing to the First Tribunal to be allowed to enter the UK under a Spousal Visa; the Immigration service has decided to appeal this decision.

This is extremely tough for us all and it has now been almost 10 months since I have been together with my family. I am living in a town where I have no connections and with the suitcase of clothes that I brought over with me. Where is any of this healthy for a family?

There are basically 3 possible outcomes of the actions of the UKBA:

1) Force Marx family to leave the UK whereby the UK loses 3 "valuable" members of society. Requires selling of property, relocating to unknown location, and then trying to establish a stable environment. (Bad for everyone including the UK as a whole)

2) Breakup of the family whereby Lorraine and Alexandra, both UK citizens, remain in the UK without Husband/Father.(Bad for everyone including the UK as a whole)

3) Grant of Spousal visa whereby the UK gains a well-educated, contributing individual to its' society. My objectives would be to be a good husband/father and to further contribute to the British society as a whole.(Good for everyone including the UK)

Finally, this is Lorraine here again. I appreciate you taking the time to read about this one case, which may seem inconsequential compared to the larger problems in the world in general. To me I have become exhausted fighting the Home Office, whilst trying to keep everything together for my daughter. I just hoped someone out there would think this was a worthy cause to put your name to,……….please, I would greatly appreciate it.

I have today read the overview of the Immigration rule changes that came into effect in July 2012, these changes were designed to protect the ‘economic wellbeing of the UK by controlling immigration and to protect the public from foreign criminals.’

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/soi-fam-mig.pdf

We are not criminals, we are not scroungers, we can support ourselves totally and have done so all of our lives. But we are being treated as if we are worse than all these things together and I believe that is wrong.

My Daughter's welfare is at stake and no one seems to care