I am stuck and I need some help, some ideas and some more miracles.
My family and I have had a summer holiday in France booked for over a year. I am speaking at a conference and then staying on for a week’s break in La Vendee. We have had a young foster child placed with us and getting him a UK passport (even though he was born in this country) has proved very difficult because of his family background. By the grace of God and lots of prayer, form filling, queuing and pleading I have managed to get him a Nigerian passport in record time – an incredible 24 hour turn around. I was hugely impressed by the graciousness and kindness of the staff at the Nigerian High Commission in London.
The next step was to try and get him a French visa as Nigerian nationals need one to enter France. After much queuing, pleading, hanging around taking pictures, tweeting and phoning I did manage to get a fast track appointment at the French Consulate in London. I brought every form – photocopied numerous times and presented it to the very efficient official in the basement Visa office. Everything was OK except for the fact that my foster son’s passport did not have a home office “residency” stamp.
So here is the roadblock. Research tells me that to get such a stamp takes a long time. It is possible to enter a fast track system – which astoundingly costs £6000 (this seems completely unjust and a definite bias to rich people ) and even then it takes 6 weeks. My local MP Jon Howell’s office is trying to help but has not got anywhere yet. Angie Paterson Jon Howell’s caseworker in particular has been very helpful and a pleasure to deal with. But sadly we have not been able to get anywhere.
I have written personally to the Minister for Children and Families Tim Loughton – but have not had a response. So in the mean time our foster son who has already had 8 different families in his short life and who has seen tremendous progress in his emotional stability and ability to make meaningful attachments is set to be left behind in respite care. I can’t believe this is the end of the story. Kids in care have already had a tough time – and now one can’t have a summer holiday with the family that love him and want to take care of him. I am running low on energy and ideas at the moment and after having had the help of so many helpful and gracious officials at the Nigerian and French embassies and some fantastic support from our local social services its really frustrating that its my own country’s immigration systems that are letting down my foster son.
I have run out of ideas. Can any of you guys help?
Do you have any other ideas for routes I can take?
There’s a passage in the Bible that has been gripping my mind recently – the whole passage is a powerful challenge to much that passes for Christianity these days.. but here’s the verse that has been powering me the last few weeks:
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17
UPDATE:
thanks friends for all your advice, retweets and Facebook messages.
Tim Loughton the Minister for Childrens and Families wrote a very kind email (on Sunday evening) wishing me good luck but telling me there is nothing he can do.
Jon Howell my local MP has also been in touch (his caseworker Angie has been doing her best to help) and it seems a lot rests on his ability to take up our case with the immigration service – so please pray for success there.
I had a couple of conversations with Sky News on this case too and may pursue a media angle on this if we don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
So thanks for getting involved, I think your prayers and social media help has made an impact!
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Hi Krish, I'm sorry I don't have any ideas, but I will be praying for an answer to your situation, either miraculously or by other means. God bless, x
I am sorry to hear the struggle u are having and will be praying that it is resolved so u can all enjoy a good family time on holiday. However and I realise that I don't know u or ur situation, but perhaps if u can't all go, no one should go and maybe somehow a refund could be received from the destination if u explain the situation. U could do conference, return home and plan a holiday for all. As I said, I don't know circumstances and such a sacrifice may be impractical. Praying for u & urs.
Thanks Grant, we have wrestled with that one. my wife is contemplating that...
Have you been to the Home Office? Other options could include giving a call to CLEAR - who work with refugees and asylum seekers her in Southampton - they have HO contacts. Keep going on your MP too and maybe get some others to write to him to hurry it along? Sorry - jumbled thoughts there but taking him with you would be so great!!
Thanks Katy, was told you can't just turn up at the home office, will follow up with CLEAR thanks for the Lead
Kk
I'm so very sorry to hear your story and would love to be able to help. As a fully Soc Serv registered Christian foster carer I think the best I can do is offer your son a wonderful holiday here in Cornwall with us (where you don't as yet need a visa) whilst the rest of you go to France. A definite second best I realise but the very best I have to offer.
Thanks Hester, that's really kind of you. We have some respite carers locally that we will ask, but as you say A plan is that he comes with us. thanks again, krish
Krish
We really feel for you. Twice we have been within a week of booked holidays with foster children and no passport. On each occasion social services have eventually got their act together and helped us get passports -uk ones- in time.
You say he doesn't qualify for a uk one?
Have you got good respite lined up?
Hi Krish, Jon March's tweet pointed me here. This is possibly of no use, but thought I'd mention it. It's a long story, but I'm going to a presentation at a committee room in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday morning, which is hosted by Tim Loughton. There's a chance that I could hand a letter to him directly, or possibly speak to him. If you think it might help, I'd be happy to try.
Hi there Krish,
I'm sorry that I am unable to help, but I have been and will keep RT'ing your blog, and have and also will keep tweeting at Tim Loughton.
Praying there is a solution to this!
Fragz
Hi Krish
I work with asylum seeking looked after children in foster care as a social worker, and my experience is that travel abroad is very difficult unless the child is recognised as a refugee.
I don't know what the immigration status of your foster son is, but my understanding is that he would normally have the same status as his parent/s. If they don't have settled status then he won't have either and I can't see how UKBA would agree to give him a residency 'stamp'.
In addition, it is my understanding that some types of status would give him permission to be in the UK but if he leaves the UK, it would be open to the discretion of UKBA to allow re-entry. If UKBA did give him a 'stamp' are you sure that you would be able to get him back into the UK? It would be good to take legal advice from an immigration solicitor? This can be free if they have a legal aid contract.
Sorry, this doesn't give much hope but maybe it might help in understanding what you are up against or help in some of your conversations with the officials/professionals you are talking to.
Sue Wells
PS I'm not supporting UKBA here - I just know it is very difficult to work with them on things that really matter to individuals.
thanks Sue - really appreciate your help - its been difficult to get good advice. We have had legal help from our local authority but not from an immigration solicitor. WIll try and find one to talk to on Monday. Thanks again.
Crikey Krish, I thought it was bad enough over here. Our eldest wasn't born in Ukraine so when I tried to get him a passport the problems started. We went to the Russian consulate and they tried, but no go. We then started getting him made Ukrainian. No can do, it has to be a blood relative or the government. He had been in the government children's home for five years and they hadn't bothered. after running around like headless chickens, Social in Brovary finally came up with the solution. We had to sign him back to the children's home, although he didn't physically go back. The head of the hearing had worked with us when we first came here so she actually put on the paperwork why he had to officially go back.
We then started working on his passport and eventually got it a few months ago.
We are hoping to adopt him next year (for varying reasons to do with his nationality I can't apply before then). To do this we have to have documents from the British Government, but this is already proving difficult. Also once the adoption goes through he will not automatically be a British Citizen as our son. When he's old enough he wants to go to UK and live with my daughter (who will by then be his sister) to study, but because of the government problems this may not be possible.
Over here they are trying, the UK, doesn't seem to care.
Because of all the problems we couldn't go back to England to visit our English family. We had already decided the year before that it was all of us or none of us as we had got fed up with going home seperately. all our kids now have passports, all we have to do now is get them all visas.
I'll be praying about the problem for you, being in the situation we really do know what it's like.
Hi Krish,
I know this may not be a route you wish to take but have you thought about going to the british media and effectively shaming our own political system that is seemingly discriminating against an innocent in-care child and a foster family who are not rich by taking so long and charging so much to deal with these issues. This sounds like a story that many tabloids like the mail etc might be interested in and might either champion your case or even pay the 6k fee to get it looked at more quickly.
Just a thought...
I went to this site to leave you the same advice as Jo. I live near Chicago and our newspaper, the Sun-Times, has a column that helps people fix all kinds of problems. Maybe you have something similar? This one seems newsworthy, especially since so many others run into the same problem. Also, would make a great photo for the paper, (have to think the way they think). I would make calls to all the media outlets, TV and print. If someone takes up your cause, things could happen very quickly. My friend was having her house unjustly foreclosed on by Bank of America, She called the paper, and within a week, the bank found her missing paperwork and she was able to stay in her house. The power of the media can be very strong. It is worth a try.
Hi Krish, I've just spoken to my dad who used to work for the Home Office. Obviously I don't know what the reason was for you drawing a blank on the UK passport but my dad suggests that you might be better off pursuing the UK passport possibility than the residency stamp one, since the child was born here. A few contacts you might or might not have tried - Paul Pugh, Executive Director of OPerations for the Passport Agency; Damian Green, Minister for Immigration; the IPS Chief Executive contacts - hqenquiries@ips.gsi.gov.uk or fax 08703369175; for complaints about passport applications phone 03002220000. Also has your MP put in an official question, which would have to be answered in 5 days?
Hi Kate
that is really helpful, will definitely follow up on these leads
please pass on thanks to your dad too
many thanks
krish
Hi Krish
I am trying to get in touch with you about a fostering related matter (not your visa challenge, although I am praying for you). What is the best way of contacting you?
cheers
Peter
sounds like you havent spoken to the immigration service, applied and told them about your compassionate circumstance! That may be a good start as you'll need the residency stamp no matter what.