Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Relief for family in deportation battle
The Merry family f rom Kirkwood have welcomed a deportation reprieve in their battle for a residency permit for mum Volha.
Immigration minister Caroline Nokes admitted that the deportation notice handed to the Belarussian citizen was issued “in error”.
Volha, known as Olya, married Scottish husband Derek in 2013 and their daughter Milana was born at University Hospital Wishaw the following year.
More than 30,000 people signed an online petition in support of Olya remaining in Monklands after last month’s deportation threat. Both Fulton MacGregor MSP and Coatbridge MP Hugh Gaffney have taken up the case.
Derek told the Advertiser: “When the letter came in from Hugh Gaffney, we certainly didn’t expect that.
“The immigrat i o n minister wrote to him and said that it was an error and that the deportation letter shouldn’t have happened, apologising and saying they’re going to be in contact with Olya.
“It says they’re reviewing it and looking into whether she has the right to stay here and she replied to him in the chamber at the House of Commons and said she’s personally working on our case and a couple of others.
“We’re delighted it was a mistake. We’re still putting together our representation package to the Home Office for Olya’s residency card.”
Ms Nok e s’ letter stated: “The Home Office apologises for issuing this notice in error.
“It will now be withdrawn and the re p o r t i n g conditions set upon Mrs Merry will be cancelled.
“The Home Office will assess whether Mrs Merry holds any automatic residency rights under the EEA regulations or any valid claims for leave to remain under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to family and private life.
“Mrs Merry will be contacted by the Home Office regarding her residence in the UK, and family circumstances and full consideration will be made on her case.”
Labour MP Mr Gaffney spoke about Olya and her family in last week’s immigration debate at the House of Commons, when he described “weeks of chaos from the Home Office, amid the scandals of the Windrush generation and immigration targets”.
He asked: “Can you imagine if you were sent a letter to take you away from your family, your children, your neighbours, your home? Imagine how many people would run for cover if they received a similar letter. How many more were sent in error?
“That young couple had tried everything to register themselves so that they could live in peace to bring up their daughter Milana, who was born in the UK, just as her father was.”
At Holyrood the First Mi n i s t e r d i s c u s s e d meeting the family when their situation was first raised by SNP politician Mr MacGregor.
She added: “The other scandals that have come to light in recent weeks underline the fact that such cases are just the tip of the iceberg; I hope that more powers over immigration come to this parliament soon.”
Derek paid tribute to the efforts of both of C o at b r i d g e’s parliamentarians.
He said: “I was really moved by how Hugh Gaffney spoke about us during the Windrush debate and the fact that he waited for hours to be called to speak so he could raise it. To us that’s absolutely amazing.
“It was also raised at Prime Minister’s Questions by Ian Blackford MP and again at First Minister’s Questions when Nicola Sturgeon spoke again about how she’d met us and seen the stress and anxiety this has caused.
“Fulton MacGregor and Hugh Gaffney have both been incredible. They’ve been absolutely brilliant in what they’ve done and I’ll be giving both of them my vote in the future.”