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I think it's been carefully choreographed.
Irene Clennell's deportation and imminent HO madness re EU ciitzens. It's a cruelly planned campaign to scare.

Was behaviour noted when in reaction to public shock post 2004 and millions of Eastern Europeans flooding in, the labour government held up as examples of their strong stance on immigration (cough) migrants from Zimbabwe, and sent, them, back. I remember my horror at the time and even remember will self on QT asking what the fuck is going on, why are we giving sanctuary to un limited number of people under no threat in EU but we are making small numbers of people from Zimbabwe go home to imminent torture and possible death??!

From the BBC etc who have reported the facts:

Moved to UK in 1988.
Married in 1990.
1990 - 1992 - lived in UK
1992 - moved to Singapore
1998 - husband & kids moved back to uk
2003 - 2005 lived in UK
2005 - 2013 lived in Singapore (husband & kids UK)
2013 - now - lived in UK

So, lived for app 8 years of her marriage in the UK (+2 yrs prior to marriage).

For 14 years of the 27 she lived with her husband (8 yrs, then 2 yrs, then 4 yrs).

She lived outwith the UK for 11 yrs between 1992 & 2003, which is far longer than the 2 yrs 'allowed'.

This is not what is reflected in the Guardian etc, and is completely at odds with the claims of the sister in law on the 'go fund me' page:

"...For 30 years, my sister-in-law Irene has lived in Britain after arriving here from Singapore...She has worked hard for those 30 years raising her family and being an important and beloved member of the local community..."

Now, now, Semi, would you please stop providing hard facts on the reality of this case? You know that only emotionalism and ridiculous conspiracy theories are acceptable here!

Semi For the purposes of reporting the Telegraph. Mail and Guardian all simplified this to stating that the period she lived outside the UK rendered her ILR invalid, that is a the pertinent fact. That they did not give chapter and verse on the comings and goings was because it was not the level of detail and complexity with which papers normally report any issue.

Why do you think that level of detail was necessary if not so that people can jump to conclusion about the state of her marriage? Something that they otherwise have absolutely no basis for. I know many British couples who have spent years apart because of the needs of parents here or for their children's education, indeed it was a decision my DH and I faced but chose against. I wouldn't question the state of their marriages. I think it is enough that Irene and her husband have both declared that they wish to be together, so she can care for him. However you look at it would you not agree that this is splitting a family, keeping a grandmother from her children and grandchild. Given the Home Offices current stance towards Asian spouses do you not agree that condemning a mother and grandmother to 3 weeks contact when they can afford it, and contact via Skype and Facetime (another fact omitted from the newspaper articles is that Irene and her husband separately say that the HO advised them this was sufficient basis for a marriage, so how much more so the years they spent together?) is a serious infringement of their family life? How would you feel?

Signed. Thanks for sharing.

comfort I think the conspiracy theories are being concocted out of the lengths of time this couple were separated. Nobody was contesting that they had negated her ILR as a result. There is absolutely no evidence that this was anything but a family that had been established long term, a mother, father, children and grandchildren. However post chapter and verse of their separations and let a few easy stereotypes about Asian spouses do the rest eh?

comfort and semi would you like me to bring your drinks over?

How would you feel?

Notice they don't rush to answer, and we get a silly one from boredof.

Whatwould, I haven't made any comment on the ins & outs of 'the state of their marriage' other than that she lived with her husband and children only in 3 bursts of a few years.

I spent prolonged periods of time away from my husband (and also away from our children) during our marriage too, due to work commitments so am quite aware of the different challenges that different families face.

My point remains that:

"...For 30 years, my sister-in-law Irene has lived in Britain after arriving here from Singapore...She has worked hard for those 30 years raising her family and being an important and beloved member of the local community..."

does not in any way tally with the actual facts.
And the reporting of the case across most of mainstream media is overly emotive, sensationalist & is scant on facts at best, completely void of salient facts at worst.

Didn't 'rush to answer' because I was doing other stuff Peregrina - however, do rest assured that I answered as soon as I read the post...

OK Semi - fair enough. I lived apart from my husband for work purposes for a number of years. Fortunately, there was nothing to cause the Home Office to get involved and split us up. Nor was it a reflection on the state of our marriage.

Semi I agree that the SIL's claim is at odds with the facts but that is clear from the reporting, and those untutored in PR do tend to have foot in mouth disease when thrown into the spotlight for the first time. I am sure most of us could imagine a friend or relative who might well get a bit generous with the truth in our support should we ever be in trouble?

Please point to the reporting that is devoid of salient facts, as I say the mainstream newspapers from all sides of the political spectrum are remarkably consistent, perhaps because they are appealing to some values that are commonly shared in the UK or where until June last year

Peregrina Don't say that if you refuse to go near The Barmy Arms it comes to you

Don't think this would have happened if she was posh and white.

How many royals wouldn't fulfil these 'marriage requirements' for residency.
There are 6 million Britishers relying on the goodwill and humanity of their host countries right now( think Bojo was rightish). Won't be long till there's a British born 'Irene' going through similar.

The Guardian article directly quotes the SIL's claim & glosses over the time spent outwith UK - makes it sound like she was in Singapore for short bursts over the '30 years' rather than for most of the 29 years.

Huffpost says she had 'lived in the UK for 27 yrs' - which is untrue.

The Sun say 'periods spent in Singapore' rather than 17 years out of 29 spent in Singapore.

Migrant Voice said:
“...a grandmother - who has lived, worked and raised a family here for decades..."
Again, untrue.
In total she has spent 12 yrs in the UK since 1988, hardly 'decades' at all.

Sorry, that last post was in response to Whatwould, who asked:

Please point to the reporting that is devoid of salient facts

I spent prolonged periods of time away from my husband (and also away from our children)

According to some posters on the other thread, Semi, that would be clear evidence that your relationship was over, and that you don't love and have abandoned your children. Still, at least you are presumably unlikely to be accused further of marrying and producing said children for convenience, unlike the unfortunate lady in question.

In fact, thinking about it, Phil the Greek travels a lot, and I don't know what husband work he's done over the last few years.

Well, it is over now TES!
But yes, I agree that it is a nonsense trying to suggest that the Singaporean lady was in an elaborate 'sham marriage' etc.

I just think that (as I said in my first post), the mainstream media have picked cases that can be spun in a super-emotive way and it clouds the real problems that exist.
It doesn't get clicks if it's boring procedural errors, or badly written policies etc.

I agree that it is a nonsense trying to suggest that the Singaporean lady was in an elaborate 'sham marriage'

Oh good, we have agreement! Is this a first?

IMO, the details of how many years she lived here, Singapore or Timbuktu are beside the point. A UK citizen wishes his spouse to live here with him - to me that is the crux of the matter.

Semi Never heard of migrant voice but as far as the mainstream media is concerned it is surely enough that they say that she had been out of the country long enough to lose her ILR, that is the salient fact. Certainly if your argument is that she failed to follow the rules, no coverage you mentioned is disputing that. Again why is it salient to point up every dot and comma of her absences? If not emotion of another kind?

"But yes, I agree that it is a nonsense trying to suggest that the Singaporean lady was in an elaborate 'sham marriage' etc." I'm going to join in the hug of agreement too!

I also agree that there are some other issues that are being clouded and that is the prejudices and stereotypes that apply to Asian wives. What else is underpinning so many being refused even an extended tourist visa? I know I bang on about it but I have met so many affected in recent weeks.

There are hundreds of these cases, going on all the time:
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/02/6-times-home-office-broke-british-families-name-immigration

I think it's been choreographed deliberately to distract from the much larger number of EU citizens in an absolutely horrendous situation as of now.

ron prejudices and stereotypes that apply to Asian wives . I agree it's gendered as well as racialised treatment, as you've just pointed out.
Compare and contrast with Bojo. Philandering foreigner, but also posh white man, his status seems to be secure.