It’s never too late

by Danielle Cohen on September 22, 2009

Dave* was a non-European national. In his thirties he married and had a child but he and his wife drifted apart romantically and settled into a routine companionship which could have lasted into their retirement had Dave not discovered in his late fifties that he would be happier with a male partner.  He and his wife divorced amicably and on a trip to the U.K. he wandered into a gay friendly pub and whilst watching sport there struck up a conversation with Jerry, a European national also in his sixties.  That day’s debate on the finer points of rugby versus American football was the starting point of a life changing relationship for both men.  They spent more and more time together, and began to plan for a Civil Partnership ceremony, with the reception to be held, fittingly, at the pub where they had first met.

But, with no warning, their plans were devastatingly ruined.  Dave had been on a visit to the States to celebrate his child’s 30^thbirthday and on his return to Heathrow he was detained by the Immigration Services and refused entry to the U.K.   He was allowed less than two days to pack up the contents of his flat before he had to return to Heathrow, say goodbye to Jerry and board a plane back to the US.  Although Jerry flew out to visit and the couple called each other almost daily, they were nevertheless apart and deeply unhappy.  At this point they contacted Danielle Cohen Immigration Law Solicitors.

During his time in the U.K. Dave had started up a successful business despite having only a visitor’s visa.  With hindsight he deeply regretted not having pursued a formal application to work in the U.K. but in the light of discovering such a deep love for Jerry he had neglected to regularise his immigration status.

We applied for Dave to be admitted to the U.K. as the committed same sex partner of Jerry, a European national who had been working in England for nearly ten years.  We submitted detailed evidence of the parties’ ability to support themselves both in terms of income and housing without having to have recourse to public funds, as well as evidence of the genuine and committed nature of their relationship.  Shortly after the initial consultation with us, Dave and Jerry received the news that Dave had been given permission to return to the U.K. and that the plans for their future which they had been forced to put on hold were now a reality again.

*Whilst the stories we use here are all true, the names have been changed to respect and preserve our clients’ confidentiality.