Father says visa cost is keeping his family apart

The couple's daughter is a UK citizen

A father says he is living thousands of miles from his family because he cannot afford the visa application for them to move to the UK.

Christopher Wade, from Ashington, Northumberland, wants to bring his wife and two-year-old daughter from Canada. While the toddler has a British passport, Mr Wade's wife is required to pay application fees and a NHS surcharge of more than £4,500.

Mr Wade, a supermarket delivery driver, and his wife applied for an exemption based on being unable to afford the payment, but this was rejected.

Their solicitor Chris Boyle, who is providing advice for free, said the pair had been wrongly refused. The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases.

Mr Wade said the last three years had been an "extreme struggle" and he experienced panic attacks because of the separation from his daughter Layla.

The toddler, who was born in Canada, has British citizenship.

"I feel like my mental health is always deteriorating and the reason why is because I am always just thinking about things like how much I'm missing time with my daughter," he said.

Chris Wade said neither he or his wife could afford the visa and NHS fee

Mr Wade met his wife Josianne Charlebois, a government administrative worker, in Canada and they married in 2022.

He planned to move across the Atlantic but, when they discovered his wife was five months pregnant, the couple decided to settle in the UK where Mr Wade had an extended family network to help with childcare.

However, due to debts he had accrued earlier in his life, as well as daycare costs, it was impossible for the couple to save up the £1,938 required for a UK family visa application as well as £2,588 for the required two-and-a-half-year NHS surcharge, he said.

Mr Boyle, who works for the charity North East Law Centre, said he believed the couple met the Home Office's exemption requirements.

Guidance documents stated a waiver should be issued for those who "cannot afford the fee", he said.

The solicitor said the couple had submitted 47 documents with a clear explanation of income and expenditure which made it clear they did not have a spare £4,526.

Mental 'roller-coaster'

Ms Charlebois, who does not have contact with her family, said she struggled with costs such as daycare fees.

Whenever Layla was ill she was forced to leave work early to pick her up which was putting her job at risk, she said.

"Mentally it's been a roller-coaster," she said.

She said she wanted to move to the UK so she could be closer to Mr Wade but also to gain the support of his family.

Her husband said he had not moved to Canada while the application was being processed as he needed his delivery shifts to keep paying off the debts he owed and to be able to send money to his wife.

His job meant meant it was hard for him to get holidays to go and see his daughter, he added.

"I mean we don't even get to spend Christmases together," he said. "I don't know how much longer this can go on."