This is Exeter -- A young family divided by immigration laws and forced to live 8,000 miles apart has been given the "perfect" Christmas present after the Home Office overturned its visa decision. Elizabeth Celi-Parr was denied permission to bring Ecuadorian husband Alexander Celi-Moreno to the UK, where she lives with their baby daughter, Olivia, aged 21 months. Alexander, a doctor, was refused a spouse visa this year, because of new legislation introduced by Home Secretary Theresa May which requires the British partner to have a salary of at least £18,600 a year. The application was blocked by officials despite the couple being offered jobs with the family firm in Devon, and rent-free accommodation in the spacious family home. Elizabeth, frustrated with the time her appeal against the decision was taking, decided to organise a family Christmas reunion in Ireland, where Alexander had been granted a tourist visa . But as she and Olivia were crossing the Irish Sea to Dublin, where she has rented an apartment, she got the news she had been dreaming of from her MP, Conservative Neil Parish, who emailed to say she had won her case. "It was amazing, the best Christmas present, but I couldn't tell anyone because I was on a ferry," said Elizabeth, who also celebrated her 30th birthday on Thursday. "When I eventually found Alexander in the airport wandering around trying to find us, Olivia ran up to him shouting 'Papa!' – it was quite emotional."She is just absolutely delighted to see him, wriggling and dancing – every time leaves the room she calls him back – and it's so beautiful here in Dublin at Christmas, just the three of us." Elizabeth met Alexander, 33, in 2006 – ironically the pair came together as she struggled to get to the Ecuadorian capital Quito to register her visa as an English teacher – and they were married in 2011. They lived in Argentina and Chile but when baby Olivia, now 21 months old, was born, the pair realised they needed the support of a family and decided to settle in England, where Alexander's medical training – he was working for a 24-hour on-call service – could lead to a well-paid job. An application for a visawas submitted and Elizabeth returned to Colyton, where she began working for the family business , J & FJ Baker & Co Ltd, Britain's only remaining traditional oak bark tannery still in production. Her father Andrew Parr, chairman of the parish council, and his wife Helen, who represents the Conservatives at East Devon District Council, now run the firm, which has been a family affair for 150 years. Elizabeth had assumed her salary, savings and the offer of free accommodation and work would persuade the authorities that the couple were unlikely to become a burden on the state. Nevertheless, the request was denied, forcing her to book a stressful trip to Ecuador in the summer, justso that Olivia could see her father. The single mother-of-one then also turned campaigner, petitioning her MP and David Cameron to overturn the Government decision while helping other families who have been similarly affected in the South West. Alexander has since received official notification that he must submit his passport to the Ecuadorian visa office, in Brazil, where they will stamp it with permission to live in the UK for two-and-a-half years. Speaking from Dublin, he said he was delighted at the decision and excited but nervous about starting a new life in the Westcountry. "It has been the most beautiful time I have ever had – to see my wife and little baby at the airport – words cannot describe the sensation," he said. "It is fantastic – we are playing all the time and making up for lost time. I don't know what to expect from living in England but I am excited."
Reported by This is 22 hours ago.
This is Exeter -- A young family divided by immigration laws and forced to live 8,000 miles apart has been given the "perfect" Christmas present after the Home Office overturned its visa decision. Elizabeth Celi-Parr was denied permission to bring Ecuadorian husband Alexander Celi-Moreno to the UK, where she lives with their baby daughter, Olivia, aged 21 months. Alexander, a doctor, was refused a spouse visa this year, because of new legislation introduced by Home Secretary Theresa May which requires the British partner to have a salary of at least £18,600 a year. The application was blocked by officials despite the couple being offered jobs with the family firm in Devon, and rent-free accommodation in the spacious family home. Elizabeth, frustrated with the time her appeal against the decision was taking, decided to organise a family Christmas reunion in Ireland, where Alexander had been granted a tourist visa . But as she and Olivia were crossing the Irish Sea to Dublin, where she has rented an apartment, she got the news she had been dreaming of from her MP, Conservative Neil Parish, who emailed to say she had won her case. "It was amazing, the best Christmas present, but I couldn't tell anyone because I was on a ferry," said Elizabeth, who also celebrated her 30th birthday on Thursday. "When I eventually found Alexander in the airport wandering around trying to find us, Olivia ran up to him shouting 'Papa!' – it was quite emotional."She is just absolutely delighted to see him, wriggling and dancing – every time leaves the room she calls him back – and it's so beautiful here in Dublin at Christmas, just the three of us." Elizabeth met Alexander, 33, in 2006 – ironically the pair came together as she struggled to get to the Ecuadorian capital Quito to register her visa as an English teacher – and they were married in 2011. They lived in Argentina and Chile but when baby Olivia, now 21 months old, was born, the pair realised they needed the support of a family and decided to settle in England, where Alexander's medical training – he was working for a 24-hour on-call service – could lead to a well-paid job. An application for a visawas submitted and Elizabeth returned to Colyton, where she began working for the family business , J & FJ Baker & Co Ltd, Britain's only remaining traditional oak bark tannery still in production. Her father Andrew Parr, chairman of the parish council, and his wife Helen, who represents the Conservatives at East Devon District Council, now run the firm, which has been a family affair for 150 years. Elizabeth had assumed her salary, savings and the offer of free accommodation and work would persuade the authorities that the couple were unlikely to become a burden on the state. Nevertheless, the request was denied, forcing her to book a stressful trip to Ecuador in the summer, justso that Olivia could see her father. The single mother-of-one then also turned campaigner, petitioning her MP and David Cameron to overturn the Government decision while helping other families who have been similarly affected in the South West. Alexander has since received official notification that he must submit his passport to the Ecuadorian visa office, in Brazil, where they will stamp it with permission to live in the UK for two-and-a-half years. Speaking from Dublin, he said he was delighted at the decision and excited but nervous about starting a new life in the Westcountry. "It has been the most beautiful time I have ever had – to see my wife and little baby at the airport – words cannot describe the sensation," he said. "It is fantastic – we are playing all the time and making up for lost time. I don't know what to expect from living in England but I am excited."
Reported by This is 22 hours ago.