Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Family are battling to remain together
Government gives support to allow mum to stay
The family battling a deportation order issued to a Belarussian mum now living in Kirkwood have gained 27,000 signatures of support on an online petition.
Volha Merry, known as Olya, was a guest at Holyrood along with her Scottish husband Derek and daughter Milana as MSP Fulton MacGregor raised the case at First Minister’s Questions – and was assured of Scottish Government support by Nicola Sturgeon.
The case is also being pursued by Coatbridge MP Hugh Gaffney, who wrote to immigration minister Caroline Noakes demanding a review which has halted the proceedings; while Holyrood external affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop has also raised it with the Home Office “as a matter of urgency”.
The Advertiser told last month how Olya, 28, had been ordered to report to an immigration centre or face being picked up and deported, after being refused a UK residence permit following more than a year of applications and court appeals.
She said this week : “The correspondence between politicians has halted things for now and we have a solicitor putting together representations for the review.
“Fulton MacGregor and Hugh Gaffney have been brilliant; they and their teams are working really hard on this and keeping us updated.
“At the moment I have to report to the immigration centre every four weeks, with evidence of who’s supporting me and where I live.”
Olya added: “Everything was normal until I got that letter; it was a complete shock. I thought, ‘what have I done? I live a normal, peaceful life.’
“We’d just enrolled Milana at nursery; it’s ludicrous that she should have to choose one parent [if the family were separated]. Why should she when she has two loving parents here?”
Mr Gaffney has been told that a full review is to be conducted; while Mr MacGregor’s motion in support of the family has so far been backed by 34 MSPs including constituency neighbour Alex Neil, former Coatbridge representative Elaine Smith and Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard.
Olya said: “The response we’ve had has been great – I never expected people to be so supportive. People who’ve never met me are contacting us and wishing us luck and all the best.
“Going to the Scottish Parliament was very exciting; the First Minister was brilliant with us and Milana, and we spoke to her and expressed our gratitude.”
She said of the residency application: “As a family, we’d start having a proper life, with the freedom not to have to report to anybody – I could get a job, we could get a house, go on holiday and do all these normal things.
“Milana has never met my dad, sister or that side of the family; my mum has been over here but it’s expensive with visas.”
Derek, 33, and translator Olya first met via work and were married in December 2013; with Olya remaining in Belarus at that time to complete a two-year postgraduate work contract.
After struggling even to obtain holiday visas to bring Olya to the UK, they moved together to Ireland to establish a joint ‘centre of life’ in the EU, to pave the way for a subsequent return to Derek’s home area.
He said: “We spent a long time exploring it and did months of research; we had jobs and cars there, and I’d moved all my possessions. We were there until the July, as we were expecting Milana and I wanted my daughter to be born here.
“We checked with the Home Office for a family permit, which we got; but the residency application was rejected for various reasons, including that we weren’t in Ireland long enough and even that it’s a sham marriage.”
Mr Gaffney said: “I have had correspondence from the Home Office that an issue of apology will be served to the Merry family and that a review will be conducted on the basis of Olya’s right to a private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“This week we’ve seen the resignation of Amber Rudd as home secretary for setting targets on deportation. I hope that families like the Merrys will be kept together and the horrible practice of deport first and ask questions later is ended with Ms Rudd’s resignation.”
Mr MacGregor confirmed that he is remaining in contact with the family, saying: “Theresa May needs to listen to calls from local politicians and the First Minister and allow this young family to stay in Coatbridge.
“The UK government needs to ditch its immigration targets and deploy a more humane approach. These are real people, not simply numbers and stats.”
The Merry family’s petition is at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ save-olya