I married an illegal immigrant - AMA

[Annie834]

I married a man who entered the UK as an illegal immigrant. After 5 years of relationship and two years of living together, we applied for his visa on grounds that he is my ‘durable life partner’ (this was while EU law was still applicable in the UK, I’m a EU citizen with settlement status). We went via an immigration lawyer and were upfront about the fact that he entered the UK illegally (not that this could have been concealed anyway). The application was successful and he was granted pre-settled status. We then got married a couple of years later and had a child.

I will answer any questions, but might not engage in wider discussions about illegal immigration, there are enough threads about that topic and this is an AMA.

Yes she has. His grant of pre-settled status has enabled him to stay in the UK. If he didn't have that status and was stopped by the police today, he would be arrested and held pending an immigration interview and deportation to Albania.

They must be trolling with shite like that.

it was their genuine relationship that legally alllowed him to stay. OP hasn’t done anything else

So technically I have reduced the number of illegal immigrants in the UK by 1!

Also, when we applied for his visa, we declared that he is here illegally and provided his current address. Home office didn’t know about his whereabouts beforehand. You can say that I assisted them in locating an illegal immigrant and gave them the opportunity to get him and deport him. They chose not to. You can’t blame me for following the laws.

Genuinely curious how that worked? You applied for refugee status from abroad? Or your family was invited to move here?

Yes I did wonder about that! I think it’s just something that people say.

Part of evacuations during WWII.

Thank you very much for explaining x

Whereas my uncle escaped auschwitz and illegally entered multiple countries before illegally settling in the uk- as I’m sure you know from your family, refugee evacuation was often random and related to money or contacts rather than need. But I guess in your mind he was also fraudulent, criminal and a liar?

or, maybe your family just had bits of paper.

So I guess in your opinion, those who came to the UK illegally, fleeing Nazi persecution, were criminals and fraudsters and not welcome here?

Very interesting take you have on the world.

Really?
You don't see a difference between entering a country legally and doing so illegally?
I see a great big difference extending in many directions.

Those people you refer to were genuine refugees.

They can not be compared to the mainly economic migrants that come over the English Channel today.
Or those that want to stay because they like our Chicken Nuggets best.

It was another poster who compared them to show how good and worthy her family and therefore by association, she is.

Apologies.

Replied to wrong post.😳

Feel like I am in a parallel universe. YES, legal, controlled migration is better than illegal migration. The OP herself acknowledges illegal migration is a problem. I see no need to attack her personally, but on a population level it is an issue.

There's a huge difference between genuinely fleeing war and imminent death, and illegal economic migration. OP clearly states that DH would not have been able to claim asylum. Illegal immigration is an entirely separate issue from asylum. Are you seriously saying you can't see the difference?

Baffling. Jewish refugees were not economic migrants. They were fleeing a literal Holocaust.

There's a huge difference between genuinely fleeing war and imminent death, and ILLEGAL ECONOMIC migration. OP clearly states that DH would NOT have been eligible to claim asylum; he was an illegal economic migrant, not in any danger but wanting a better life. Illegal immigration is an entirely separate issue from asylum. Are you seriously saying you can't see the difference?

Tbh you’re the one who is approaching it in such a black and white way - everything you have posted has basically said your family did it the right way as they had papers, but everyone else who comes illegally is a criminal, a fraudster, immoral, etc.

Two things can be right - someone can enter the UK illegally, and can also have done so because they are fleeing imminent death.

As is evident by your own response, it’s really not that black and white, is it?

Everyone who comes illegally- unless they are refugees or asylum seekers- ARE criminals. We can argue for mitigation, as some pp have done. But they have committed a crime.

There is so much abuse of the system. I've heard of many cases in which someone that has claimed asylum has subsequently gone back to their home country to visit family! Now either it is dangerous or it isn't. If it is no longer dangerous, then your asylum status is revoked. No wonder the UK is such an attractive option - we are way too soft.

Not sure I could be with a man who felt entitled to force his way into a 'better' country for his personal gain .... to the cost of the law abiding taxpayers who have no say in the matter. Did this not give some insight into his character OP?

Yes this would bother me too.

You are not responding to the conversation that preceded this post, which was your statement that you are not privileged because you are from an immigrant family.

You stated that those who came without papers are criminal /fraudulent… loads of other hyperbole.

Posters are simply pointing out that papers/ no papers isn’t as black and white as you think.