The Home Office has denied a great-grandfather from Lancashire the chance of meeting his five-month-old British great-grandson, who lives abroad.
asserted
who → deny → grandson
William Cross was born in Thailand on 30 April to parents Matthew Cross, 31, who is from Burnley in Lancashire, and Khin Thant Zin, known as Jue Jue, also 31, a refugee who fled persecution in Myanmar to Thailand.
asserted
who → bear → Thailand
The family live on the island of Koh Tao, famous for its diving schools and a centre for turtle conservation.
asserted
family → live → conservation
It is a popular tourism spot and Cross, a mechanical engineer, opened a steakhouse restaurant there 15 months ago.
asserted
Cross → open → restaurant
He met Zin on the island and the couple are now engaged.
asserted
couple → meet → island
She works in the restaurant managing social media and human resources.
asserted
She → work → media
Cross’s parents have visited the family in Thailand and have met their grandson.
asserted
parents → visit → grandson
But William’s great-grandfather George Kerr, 74, who lives in Clayton-le-Moors in Lancashire, has multiple health problems and so is unable to fly out to Thailand to meet the baby.
asserted
who → live → baby
Instead, a large family gathering was planned in Burnley for Christmas.
asserted
gathering → plan → Christmas
Cross said: “My grandfather suffers from ill health and sadly he is unable to travel.
asserted
he → say → health
He and I have been extremely close all my life and I’m desperate for him to meet his grandchild
asserted
him → ’m → grandchild
The family have just signed a lease on a new home and have bought some land on the island for later development.
asserted
family → sign → development
They assumed that organising a short trip to the UK for a family Christmas would be straightforward.
asserted
organising → assume → Christmas
But the Home Office refused Zin’s visitor visa application, which means the family will be unable to travel.
asserted
family → refuse → application
Officials said they were not satisfied she was a “genuine visitor”, and that there was no evidence Zin would return to Thailand because she had not shown evidence of significant family ties there, and she was unable to show sufficient evidence of her income.
asserted
she → say → income
“Jue Jue has never had a bank account,” Cross said.
asserted
Cross → have → account
“Her brother and sister both live on Koh Tao and her mum is planning to move here when her younger sister has finished school in Myanmar.”
asserted
sister → live → Myanmar
“They required documentation from my family to be financial guarantors while we’re in the UK.
asserted
we → require → UK
Passport photos of my grandfather, my mum and dad and me, a typed letter from each of us confirming our commitment to sponsorship, a formal letter of invitation from my parents saying they would be comfortable with my partner being in my home,” Cross said.
asserted
Cross → type → home
“We had to travel to Phuket, a journey of two nights and three days from Koh Tao on a ferry and buses, which cost us £400, to complete biometric screening required for the visitor visa application.
asserted
which → have → application
”
There is no right of appeal against this visa refusal so the couple are preparing a new application, although the Home Office refusal letter warns that future applications are likely to be refused “unless the circumstances of your application change”.
asserted
circumstances → be → application
They also need to buy and provide evidence of return flight tickets even though they don’t know whether the new visa application will be granted.
asserted
application → need → tickets
They have to make the long journey from the island on ferry and buses a second time to repeat the biometrics.
asserted
They → have → biometrics
“By the time we send our next application, the whole thing will have cost us £3,000 with no guarantee of it being accepted,” Cross said.
asserted
Cross → send → guarantee
The family are still hoping that baby William will be able to meet his great-grandfather at Christmas.
asserted
William → hop → Christmas
Temperatures on the island rarely fall below 25C, so back in Burnley his relatives have bought warm baby clothes in the hope he will get a chance to wear them.
asserted
he → fall → them
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.
asserted
We → say → cases
All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, in line with the immigration rules and based on the information and evidence provided by the applicant.”
asserted
applications → consider → applicant
The Aporia
