THEIR lives have been on hold since 2015 but last night a Pakistani family who have made Dumfries their home were celebrating after being granted leave to remain (LTR) in Scotland.
It came two years after The National highlighted four years in limbo for the Saleem family – father Muhammad, his wife Razia and their daughters Saira and Fatima – after Saira, their eldest daughter, was granted LTR by the Home Office, but refused the others.
She had to take time out of her studies because of the stress of the affair, but last night, Saira told The National: “We are just so relieved we’ve managed to get this all sorted out.
“We got a phone call from our lawyer with the news and we were very emotional, but now we can put it behind us and get on with our normal lives, we are just so happy.”
Muhammad Saleem came to the UK from Pakistan on a work permit in 2005 and was joined the following year by his family.
After living in Lockerbie, they later settled in Dumfries. In 2015, however, the family’s former lawyer was late submitting their applications for LTR, which started their problems. Subsequent visa applications were refused and they had to put their lives on hold.
The stress that brought on left their father unable to work, but support came from across the political divide, the Dumfries and Galloway community and a new lawyer, Glasgow-based Usman Aslam.
At that time, Saira told The National: “They have granted me leave to remain but not my family. That is very confusing and distressing as well.”
Amanda Kennedy, a local journalist, who had gone to Lockerbie Academy with Saira, started an online petition over what their then MSP Emma Harper said was another example of the UK Home Office’s “inhumane and hostile environment”.
The family’s Tory MP Alister Jack even raised the case with the Home Office. Kennedy’s petition was signed by more than 133,000 people, but still the family remained in limbo. Aslam, from the Glasgow firm Rea Law said the decision to grant LTR to one family member and refuse three was unusual, and took the case to appeal.
Last night, he said: “I am pleased that the Home Office have reconsidered matters in light of the judge’s previous finding. It is simple in my view. Families belong together. Nobody should be separated from their loved ones.
“Here we faced a situation where Saira, who grew up with her sister and parents, then spent around 15 years in Scotland, with her sister and parents, faced being separated from them due to arbitrary rules. Moreover, this is a family who are well integrated in Dumfries and give so much back to the community. It is difficult to comprehend what the Secretary of State was hoping to legitimately achieve by trying to split this family up.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel