SEPARATED BY RED TAPE
Visa issue keeps newlyweds 6,000 miles apart
A NEWLYWED couple has been left heartbroken after a furious immigration row erupted – leading to them being kept almost 6,000 miles apart.
Former RAF serviceman John Wright married “amazing” wife Juliane Oliveira Rodrigues in a ceremony in her home country of Brazil back in January.
The couple had made plans to build a new life together in John’s home in Gateshead, having already spent time together in the North East.
But, just a few months on, the newlyweds remain separated after Juliane’s visa application was put on hold indefinitely.
Speaking at his home, surrounded by wedding cards, John said: “It is horrible – it has not been good for us.
“Juliane can’t quite understand it and it has caused friction between us.
“It has killed our honeymoon period – it is almost the longest period we haven’t seen each other for.
“Our lives are on hold. It does not feel like we’re married.”
The couple launched Juliane’s visa application back in January with the UK Visas and Immigration Office (UKVI) in Bogota, Colombia, which deals with all requests from South America.
But, after more than a month of waiting, John received a reply saying the application has been put on hold “until further notice”.
A recent Supreme Court decision upheld a minimum income of £18,600 for applicants sponsoring spouses has caused the Home Office to pause making decisions on certain non-European applications.
And, despite sending numerous bank statements proving he passes the threshold, John has also been told the application would be denied as he can not provide tax returns from his fledgling business.
John, 33, said: “I thought they made a mistake at first, it was a blanket email that has nothing to do with us.”
He added: “My business, John Wright Holdings Ltd, was only incorporated in April last year so I will not have the end-of-year information until January 2018.
“I have sent as evidence six months of payslips and business as well as personal bank statements showing I am more than four times over this threshold.
“It is like they just have tick boxes and the computer says no.
“It’s something they could solve so very easily, it defies logic.”
Juliane, 27, is currently sharing a room with her brother and sister in the family home in Rio de Janeiro while the row rumbles on.
John first met the former school teacher while travelling in South America for the Copa America football tournament in 2015.
Juliane then spent six months in the North East on a tourist visa, and John admitted he quickly knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
He said: “She’s one of the most friendly people I have met.
“Whenever she goes into a room, everyone’s eyes are drawn to her.
“She is the sweetest person I have known – so caring and kind and beautiful.
“She is an amazing person. When I met her, quite quickly I kind of knew I wanted to marry her as I had never felt that way before.”
With the application on hold, John said the couple are now mulling over waiting it out, bringing Juliane over on a temporary tourist visa or whether to start a life together in Rio.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The minimum income threshold for British citizens sponsoring a spouse visa has been upheld as lawful by the Supreme Court.
“The onus is on the applicant to provide the evidence specified in the immigration rules to show that the minimum income threshold is met.
“This case is temporarily on hold while we consider some other aspects of the Supreme Court’s judgment.”
Our lives are on hold. It does not feel like we’re married John Wright