London mum left stuck in Jamaica 'heartbroken'
- Published
Tiffany Ellis's son Xien was denied a UK visa, meaning she could not return to London
What was supposed to be a dream wedding in Jamaica slowly unravelled into a nightmare for Tiffany Ellis. First, Covid-19 prevented her from travelling home, then the Home Office denied a visa for her newborn son. This split her family in two and her "heart broke".
The London mother of two told the BBC how eight months in limbo had affected her mental health, her daughter's grades, and shook her belief in the UK.
"It comes to a point that you're so anxious every day you don't sleep.
"I haven't slept a solid night since I found out."
'Just collapsed'
Mrs Ellis, 28, remembers everything about the moment she found out her son Xien had been denied a visa to the UK.
She was born in Jamaica but has indefinite leave to remain in the UK, where she has lived since the age of eight.
Xien was born in Jamaica after the family became stuck due to the coronavirus pandemic. This means he is not classed as a British citizen.
"I found the letter and just collapsed. I lay on the floor and cried for 45 minutes straight.
"I was truly heartbroken, and that's exactly how it felt. I felt like my heart was going to pop."
Mrs Ellis raised her son for 15 months in Montego Bay after being left stuck in Jamaica
Mrs Ellis and her partner Zarren had travelled from their home in Croydon, south London, to Jamaica in January 2020 to get married, accompanied by their toddler daughter Xianna.
But their plans were derailed by the global pandemic, with the family forced to stay in Jamaica as countries went into lockdown and flights were cancelled.
As restrictions eased they were finally married on the Caribbean island in August 2020.
Within weeks Mrs Ellis became pregnant. She developed hyperemesis gravidarum, which led to dizziness and vomiting so severe she was unable to leave the house.
Her condition meant she remained in Jamaica, where she gave birth to Xien on 20 April 2021. Mrs Ellis was told she would have to apply for a visa for her son to enter the UK.
Zarren and Xianna have been living in Croydon without Mrs Ellis since December
Still without a visa for Xien, Zarren and Xianna returned to London so Xianna could start her first year of school.
"Me and my daughter were like best buddies. We went literally everywhere together," Mrs Ellis said.
"Before all this, the most I've been apart from her is one night."
Three months after applying, Mrs Ellis was told her son's visa application had been rejected.
The official response suggested she return home to London without Xien and support her son's life remotely, Mrs Ellis said.
She believes her family became a victim of a "hostile environment" application system.
The system, spearheaded by former Prime Minister Theresa May, established a more complicated application process for migrants to live and stay in the UK.
Mrs Ellis appealed against the decision, but said she never heard back from the British High Commission in Kingston.
'Anxious all the time'
From that day she said she had "lived a temporary life".
"You don't want to plan ahead too much in case things change," she said.
"I don't want to buy too many nappies and too much food for example.
"You're anxious all the time. You think, 'will today be the day they say I can go home?'"
Mrs Ellis's anxiety worsened after doctors diagnosed Xien with a kidney condition. She found no specialist paediatric treatment for the condition was available in Jamaica.
Meanwhile, she says her daughter's schooling has suffered.
"She was always top of her class in everything and now she's falling back," Mrs Ellis said.
"Her teachers say she's lost her focus and is easily distracted.
"I can see how the knock-on effect of me being stuck is happening to her."
'We need humanity'
Earlier this week, Mrs Ellis's story was published in the Guardian newspaper.
By the next day, Xien's visa had been granted.
"I broke down again, in the exact same spot I collapsed when I was told Xien's visa was denied.
"I was so happy that it's almost like disbelief."
But her happiness soon gave way to a bitter realisation.
"It was in the press for just 24 hours before they overturned their decision," she said.
"It shows they always had the power to turn it about so quickly. If you had the power to turn things around so quickly why did they make us wait six and a half months?"
After months of stasis, Mrs Ellis's story suddenly began to gain momentum. A crowdfunding page was set up to buy her and Xien a plane ticket home.
She arrived back in London on Thursday morning - the day after being interviewed for this story - just over 24 hours after her son's visa was approved.
"I was raised in the UK. I was raised in a country where I trusted and I believed that if you are honest and do everything correct in life, life will work out for you.
"I trusted that. But the country I have known my entire life has left me stranded out here.
"My faith has been shaken."
She called on the Home Office to "put some humanity into dealing with visa cases".
"You can't just assess someone's whole life based on a case file," she said.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are in contact with Ms Ellis and have now issued the child's visa."
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