• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Married couple split by Irish border because of Brexit

The pair have been waiting five months for a family permit that would allow them to live together in the United Kingdom.

Henry Goodwin by Henry Goodwin
2021-09-01 11:48
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A married couple forced to live apart because of Brexit claim their lives have been thrown into limbo. 

Corinne Giles, from South Africa, lives in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland while her British husband, Brett, is based in Londonderry – 25 miles away.

The pair have been waiting five months for a family permit that would allow them to live together in the United Kingdom.

Corinne, an A&E doctor who worked on the frontline of the pandemic, told the Guardian she was in a “constant state of anxiety” and is “living out of a suitcase”. She is out of a job because she felt she could not extend her contract in Ireland as she would be emigrating to the UK.

‘Kept in the dark’

But, eight months on, she faces having to return to South Africa when her residency rights come to an end. If she is caught entering Northern Ireland illegally, she risks deportation.

Corrinne, a South African who has worked on the Covid front line in Ireland as an A&E doctor & Brett Giles live 25 miles apart in Donegal and Derry counties respectively, but Corinne has been waiting months for a family permit to join her British husband. https://t.co/md9GsdUSvy

— Fionna O’Leary, ??? (@fascinatorfun) August 30, 2021

“I’m absolutely emotionally drained and exhausted mentally and physically,” she said. “I’m living in this constant state of anxiety every day, checking emails that will determine my future.

“All the time the gap in my working career is growing substantially. Being kept in the dark with absolutely no feedback or communication from the Home Office is absolute torture. I never in my wildest dreams thought that two years after coming to Europe, I would be sitting on the couch, unemployed, disillusioned, disheartened.

“All I want is a normal life. Also all my family are in the UK, my brothers, my sisters, my mum, and I’m completely alone in a foreign environment and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to continue this life.”

‘Incredibly frustrating’

The couple moved to the Republic of Ireland in 2019 after 15 years in South Africa, wanting to be closer to family in the UK.

RelatedPosts

Commons Leader tells MP to ‘check his behaviour’ over conspiracy claims

Scottish Parliament suspended five times in 20 minutes during Humza Yousaf’s first FMQs

Pacific trade deal will mean Britain ‘can never rejoin the EU’

Tories try to reduce MP’s suspension to avoid triggering a possible by-election

“We left South Africa in the hope of a better future for us. To separate us has been very traumatic,” Corrinne told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme. “I don’t know what the future holds for us.”

They said the wait was “incredibly frustrating”, adding that the Home Office had offered little information.

“It’s incredibly complicated and confusing,” said Brett. “I am extremely disappointed… It’s absolutely shocking, it’s despicable.

“Has anyone actually looked at our application? It’s that sort of feeling, that no one really cares about you.”

Colum Eastwood – Brett’s MP – said the couple had been met with “obstinacy from the Home Office at every turn”, and questioned “how the Home Office cannot… carry out the necessary checks in this timeframe”.

‘Hostile and obfuscatory’

The Labour MP Peter Kyle, who has a constituent in a similar position, told the Guardian: “The government has entirely forgotten that they are [here] to serve British citizens.”

“To be so hostile and obfuscatory towards a British citizen, to make it difficult for a British citizen to even get information on how to resolve a situation caused by government policy, is borderline unconstitutional,” he added.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Eligible family members ofBritish citizens returning with them to the UK from the EU should apply for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit. Each case is considered as quickly as possible and on its individual merits but processing times can vary depending on the volume and complexity of applications.”

Related: Wetherspoons suffers beer shortages as Brexit batters supply chains

Content Protection by DMCA.com
Tags: BrexitIrish border

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

Elevenses: Fear and Loathing in the New Conservatives

More from TLE

Three of Banksy’s earliest displays of work set to disappear forever from defunct nightclub

The lost decade: The Tories spent all the money

Huge leatherback turtle washes up in Cornish harbour

Single homeless applicants still not securing housing despite new legislation 

Debt-management experts warn of “same conditions” to global financial crisis

Jedward clash heads with Piers Morgan as fiery debate erupts over Winston Churchill statue

Lucky Numbers and Horoscopes for today, 20 November 2021

CCTV image of suspect released after nine women sexually assaulted on London buses

Pair of county lines drug dealers tried to avoid arrest in this dozy way

Sturgeon commits to coronavirus inquiry for Scotland ‘by end of year’

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.