AS THERESA May announced a raft of anti-immigration policies in what the SNP described as her “cruel and callous” manifesto, one Canadian family who had made their home in Scotland were worrying about being deported back to North America after being given duff information by the Home Office.
Dr Kevin Parsons, a lecturer at Glasgow University’s Institute of Biodiversity had his application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK declined earlier this week, despite doing exactly what he was told by the government’s visa officials.
And while one branch of government is actively trying to kick Dr Parsons out, another, the Natural Environment Research Council, has awarded the evolutionary ecologist a £1.32 million grant to help support his research.
Parson’s wife, Lynne, qualifies for UK citizenship, as do his daughters Avery, 10, and Skye, who was born in Glasgow three years ago.
Parsons says staff at UK Visas told him to obtain indefinite leave to remain status before his wife applied for citizenship, otherwise he could be the odd one out in the family and find himself deported.
But in a ruling this week the family were told they should have done opposite.
Because of that one mistake, the Parsons have lost £2,887 in fees, and could be deported on June 11.
To stay they would need to apply for settlement or renewal of Ancestry, and could face a bill of around £13,000.
The case was brought up at First Minister's questions by the family's MSP Gil Paterson.
Nicola Sturgeon said the case illustrated “the complete wrong-headedness of the UK Government’s approach to immigration.”
Paterson called for the Parsons' status to be resolved "as a matter of extreme urgency."
“While one arm of the Tory Government is funding scientific research he is leading, another, the Home Office, is ordering him to leave the country. Where is the sense there?
“The situation is emblematic of the treatment of migrants in across the UK by the Tory Government and cannot be allowed to continue."
in Halifax, launching her party's offer to voters, the Prime Minister said net migration into the UK was “still too high” and reaffirmed her target to cut it to the “tens of thousands” from the recently recorded level of 273,000 That figure it seems, will also include overseas students.
Those students, and foreign workers, will also be made to pay more to cover the cost of NHS care.
They’ll be expected to leave at the end of their studies unless they meet new “higher requirements”.
Any UK citizen looking to bring a foreign national family member into the UK will need to earn at least £22,400, up from £18,600.
The Home Office declined to comment on the Parsons’ case.
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