Bride denied entry into UK
A NEW bride has accused UK immigration officers of treating her like “a common criminal” after they refused her entry into Britain and deported her.
Hindy Levene, a Canadian citizen, was detained for nine hours after she and her husband, Avi, who holds a UK passport, arrived at Manchester Airport on Thursday last week.
TheStrictlyOrthodoxcouplehadmarried four days earlier in Jerusalem and flowntoBritaintocontinue their wedding celebrations with Mr Levene’s family.
When they landed at the airport, Mrs Levene was quizzed by officials who questioned her motive for visiting the UK. The couple did not have their marriage certificate to hand, leading officers to suspect they were planning to marry in order to settle in Britain.
The couple insisted they were already married and tried to explain the religious significance of the a series of blessings held during the week after the wedding over celebratory meals.
They also showed return flight tickets and told the officials of an apartment they were renting in Jerusalem.
MrLevenewasescortedtothearrivals hall while his wife was photographed and fingerprinted and forced to remain in an immigration suite overnight before being put on a plane to Brussels.
According to Mrs Levene, when the airport’s Jewish chaplain came to visit her, he was shouted at by officers and told to leave.
Speaking from Belgium this week, she told the JC: “At first I felt confident because I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. But they kept getting more and more nasty. I was very scared. I stayed really strong for a while but then I lost it. They treated me like a criminal. It didn’t make any sense.”
Mr Levene said: “I was really upset to leave her. There was nothing I could do but stand and wait for her for hours and hours.”
According to his father, Jonathan Levene, Immigration showed no empathy for the couple. He said: “We told them we were in the middle of the wedding celebrations, but they acted in an obnoxious and obstructive way. ”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Canadian nationals travelling to the UK for marriage are required to hold a marriage visitor visa. The rules on this are clear and those without an appropriate visa are liable to be refused entry.”
I was very scared. They treated me like a criminal’