War hero: British Visa rules tearing my family apart

                                 

Andrew McLaughlin’s American wife and daughter have been denied entry to the UK because of the government’s strict immigration rules on non-EU spouses.

And the 29-year-old said that left him with no choice but to quit the country to be with his family.

“I’m being forced out of my own country,” he said.

“I fought for my country and it hurts that no-one is willing to fight for me.

“I’ve no choice but to leave because I’m not going to miss out on my daughter’s life.

I feel totally let down.”

Andrew, who grew up in Warwickshire, served in the Grenadier Guards 1st battalion for four years.

He was deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where more than 350 British soldiers were killed, from March to September 2012.

He married Wanda, 37, in December 2011 after meeting her on a trip to the US to visit family and friends.

                      

But Andrew’s wife and daughter were denied entry to the UK because his new job as a driver pays less than the £18,600 gross annual minimum wage required to allow a foreign spouse to settle here.

The government said the minimum income rule was to prevent unqualified spouses coming to the UK and becoming dependent on the state.

But now Andrew will be forced to move permanently to America.

He has already been separated from his wife and two-year-old Gracie, for more than six months.

The life-long Aston Villa fan said: “I was on the frontline and regularly encountered deadly Taliban resistance.

“I lost three close friends there, including one mate I met in basic training – that sort of loss is pretty horrendous.

“What I went through out there changed me forever.”

The Warwickshire College graduate also has American citizenship because his dad Richard is originally from Pennsylvania.

But he wanted to bring his family to the UK so his daughter could experience her British heritage.

Wanda, originally from Puerto Rico, arrived at Heathrow last June, having packed up her life in New Jersey.

But she was detained and interrogated for more than six hours because she did not have the necessary visa.

Andrew told the Birmingham Mail: “She was humiliated and told she had to pay for her own flight to return to the US within the week.

“The officials were rifling through her baggage and she was extremely upset.

“They wouldn’t let me see her, or my daughter, for hours.

“When I finally got through to someone and told them I was a combat veteran they said: ‘I couldn’t care less.’”

Richard, 67, a former University of Warwick Engineering researcher, said: “The guidelines are morally flawed here.

“They are a young hard-working couple just trying to make a life in the land of Andrew’s birth.

“Why should they be kept apart?

“There is no sound reason for it.

“Someone needs to help this hero.”

When Andrew tried to re-enrol in the Army in Coventry last April, his application was declined because of Government budget cuts to recruitment.

“The Army always took very good care of me, though,” he said.

“I can’t blame them for not giving me a job when I re-applied.”

Instead, he was grateful to find work as a driver for Fortress, a Warwickshire recycling company.

He works hard to provide for his family but his income does not meet the strict income requirement of £18,600.

Andrew added: “My wife is well-educated and has years of retail management experience so she wouldn’t be a burden on the UK.

“In fact, she’s an extremely hard worker.

“But she was mistreated and detained.

“Of course, I want to be with my wife and daughter so I’m left with no choice but to move back to America.

“I feel completely let down.”

Ruth Grove-White, policy director of the Migrants’ Rights Network, has spoken about the Government policy.

“These rules are a shocking infringement of the right to family life,” she said.

“Being able to start a family in your own country should not be subject to the amount of money you make.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “All spousal visa applications must be supported by the evidence required under the rules to show the sponsor is able to financially support the applicant in the UK.

“Cases are carefully considered on their individual merits, in line with the immigration rules and based on the evidence provided.

“There are clear rules for British citizens looking to bring their non-EU spouse to this country, including a minimum income threshold based on advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.

“This policy has been approved by Parliament and upheld by the courts.”