Cardiff family split for Christmas after 'visa bungle'

Rosie Brown's two youngest children are stranded with her in the UK

A family face Christmas separated by the Atlantic Ocean in what their lawyer says is a terrible bureaucratic bungle.

Rosie Brown and her two youngest children are stranded in the UK while her US-born husband and four other children are 4,000 miles away in Ohio.

They ended the lease on their Cardiff home expecting to move to the US.

But her permanent residency card to live there is out of date, and a new one cannot be sent because she needs to provide her fingerprints - in the US.

The Department of Homeland Security and the US Citizenship and Immigration Service said they could not discuss individual cases.

Joshua Brown is in the US with the pair's four eldest children

Joshua, 37, and Rosie, 35, married 16 years ago in Texas but returned to the UK six years ago for Joshua's postgraduate studies with their four children, and had two more in Wales.

But when Joshua's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, the family decided to return to the US.

"Rosie applied for permanent residency when we got married, but it's just been pending, we've been waiting for her to be approved for her green card," Joshua said.

After being told she would be allowed back into the US, Rosie booked a flight for herself and her two youngest children.

But she was told at the airport she was not allowed on the flight as her green card was out of date - but the only way to update it is to provide her fingerprints in the US.

'Heartbroken and defeated'

"I just feel so heartbroken and defeated right now," Rosie said.

"I miss my children so much, and my husband."

Joshua, who was waiting for her at the airport, had to drive home and tell the four eldest children their mother and sisters were not allowed to fly.

Joshua's mother's breast cancer is now stage four and terminal, meaning the family longed to be together over Christmas.

"For her this has been especially terrible. She very much wanted us all to be together this Christmas, that was really important for her," Joshua said.

The family, expecting to be leaving for the US, ended the lease on their Cardiff house, packed up their belongings to be shipped to the US and gave away toys and books.

Rosie and the two girls were left with just a few bags, but four months later they are still in the UK.

"I keep hoping for a miracle," Rosie said.

"I can't think that I won't be with my children and my husband for Christmas.

"There are days when I burst into tears a lot, I'm sobbing, looking at Christmas decorations thinking I don't know how I'm going to get through today. I just miss the kids so much."

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She says trying to be a mother to four children thousands of miles away is difficult, even with video conferencing.

"I've got daughters who are teenagers with complex emotions who are struggling," she said.

"I've missed birthdays, Thanksgiving, they've had Covid. As a mum you just want to be there for that.

"I want to wake up and my children be there. I want to watch Christmas films with them and sing Christmas carols.

Rosie described how she longs to clean up her children's messes again

"I want to clean up their messes, I want to wash their dishes. That would be the biggest Christmas present for them this year, to be together."

The family's friends in Cardiff and around the UK have donated to a campaign fund to help the Browns pay for a US lawyer to fight their case.

Lawyer Margaret Wong, who specialises in immigration cases, described the situation as "terrible".

"This is very cruel, but they are not the only family being denied entry," she said.