‘We’ve spent two years trying to prove our marriage isn’t a sham’

they decided to get married and in 2014 wed in a civil ceremony at Rochdale Town Hall.

Jeff, 55, has UK ancestors (his paternal grandfather was born in Derbyshire), enabling him to enter the country on an ancestry visa.

Jeff’s visa was due to expire in July 2016, so the couple made enquiries about which course to take as he was married to a UK national.

The couple claim to have received conflicting advice from the Home Office about what to do.

On a second call to an advisor they were told to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the ‘Spousal Route’ once the ancestry visa had expired a year later.

By this point the couple had got jobs working in education and had bought a house.

Jeff was told he’d have to sit a ‘Life in the UK’ test.

Julie explains: “The first available appointment was August 11, 2016.

“His ancestry visa expired on July that year 2016.

“At no point were we told we should continue under the ancestry route, or that we could in fact apply to extend his ancestry visa for a further five years; something we have since established was an option.

“No one advised us of this at that time.”

They completed the application under the spousal route, expecting it to be processed within six months.

Yet despite numerous follow-up calls, they didn’t hear from the Home Office for another year.

It wasn’t until June 14 this year, after 20 months of waiting, Jeff was told his application for indefinite leave to remain in the UK was rejected.

Their caseworker said they did not believe their marriage to be ‘genuine, real or subsisting’.

“I can’t tell you how stressful the whole process is,” says Julie.

“The correspondence was shocking and devastating for our family.”

Jeff added: “It’s difficult to comprehend or describe what it feels like to be faced with the possibility of having to leave your wife and family, and a country in which you are settled, and the utter upset and devastation this has caused our family.

“We had built a life here, I had been working and paying taxes for seven years and felt a strong attachment to the place of my grandfathers heritage.”

Jeff was dealt another blow when he lost his job as a key worker for young adults due to the Home Office’s decision.

The couple have appealed the decision, sending photographs, pay slips and other documents to prove their marriage.

But for now Jeff remains on immigration bail and has to report to a deportation centre in Salford Quays once a month until his application is processed.

The couple believe they have fallen victim to a number of clerical errors on the Home Office’s part.

The Home Office said it had contacted Mr Rose to inform him that we are reviewing his application for Indefinite Leave to Remain. ●●Julie and Jeff Rose say they have done everything to prove to immigration officials their marriage isn’t a sham. Jeff now faces being deported to Canada