Right to a family life - Our Battle

[Jessieben]

 My name is Jessica Benchrifa.  I went on holiday in February 2012 to Marrakech and met an amazing man called Hicham who I married in April 2013. Our son Rayan was born in October 2013.

In July 2012 new visa laws were put in place. The Conservative party pledged to reduce net immigration and they targetted every angle. Before July 2012 and the 39 years before it...you could marry whoever you liked and live with them here in the UK. Now...marriage has a price tag of £18,600 per annum.

These new rules require that the spouse living and residing in the UK must show that they earn £18,600 per year. Self employment is often discredited and viewed as fraudulent. 46% of people cannot afford this threshold and stand little chance of obtaining a visa for their partner.

This has resulted in families being split up, children separated from a parent or forced exhile for the British spouse.

I am lucky enough to meet the financial requirement. But if the rules change again I could be without my husband and my son will be without his father. In the meantime though my husband has a full time job with a big uk brand and pays his taxes. We offer advise and spousal visa help to those who are going to apply. Me especially. I support these women who aren't fortunate to have their partner with them.

I am not alone in this misery, there are roughly 4000 spouse visa applications set to be refused on the basis that the UK spouse does not earn £18,600 per year, thats not counting those who have avoided applying because they know they stand no chance of getting their spouse a visa.

Google MM Case.

These are born and bred British citizens that do not have a right to a family life. Our government has taken that right away from them...unless they earn £18,600 pa of course.


Im writing to you to invite you to please come to my demo in London on the 23rd August 2014 starting 11am at Parlaiment Square East Walk. I have a facebook event up and running plus advertising on Britcits.com. Im hoping that a few hundred will attend. We want to educate the public on what is happening to British citizens,our spouses and the children caught in the middle.

I am fighting for my right as a British citizen and my right to be with whoever I wish regardless of his nationality, skin colour or how much money I earn.

Our aim of this demo is to get noticed, to share our story with as many people as we can and educate people about what our government is doing to us.

We need to curb this misconception that foreigners are bad and a "burden on society". We need to tell everyone how the Minimum income requirement is tearing families apart. Keeping parents away from their children and force exhiling british citizens that cannot afford the income requirement. This predjudice has to stop but in the Home Offices' eyes is completely legal and justified.

I chose to message you because I know that you have an interest in Human Rights and I hoped you might support me and many others who are fighting for our loved ones.

Please join us x

Thankyou

[ArsenicFaceCream]

I am fighting for my right as a British citizen and my right to be with whoever I wish regardless of his nationality, skin colour or how much money I earn.

Skin colour? Please explain what you mean.

Are you claiming that the policy discriminates on the basis of skin colour?

I am also confused by 'fighting for my right as a British citizen and my right to be with...'. What do you mean exactly?

I don't mean to sound pernickity but if you asking for support, people need to know what they are supporting.

I thought I understood you completely until halfway through.