Dad separated from his kids and told 'one twin is British and but other isn't'

17 June 2024 , 08:31

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Carl Wylie with his wife Zandile and their three children (Image: Chronicle Live)

A dad remains separated from his three children as only one was granted a passport.

Carl Wylie, a 40-year-old who married his wife Zandile, 31, after moving from Gateshead to South Africa in 2020, has been left heartbroken by the situation. The couple's children are four-year-old twins Harley and Holly, and their younger sibling, one-year-old Freddie.

However, Carl found himself unemployed due to redundancy in March this year, forcing him back to Gateshead to work and support his family. They gave up their home in Cape Town, leaving behind cherished memories as Zandile and their children took shelter with relatives in Soweto - which Carl says is a dangerous area.

Hoping to reunite his family, Carl applied for British passports for all his offspring so they could start a new life in the UK. However the passport office only sent him a passport for Harley and refused his other two children, reports Chronicle Live. Carl said: "How can one twin child be British and the other one not? It's the lack of common sense that's very frustrating. I have been on the phone to them 40 times easily."

Carl Wylie with his three children Harley, Holly and Freddie who he is now separated from (Chronicle Live)

Carl explained the toll the situation had taken on the whole family: "It's hard, it's very distressing being apart from them. It's affected them greatly because their father's not with them. They're trying to understand why their father's not with them. This has made me cry too many times."

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Carl said that the rules in South Africa mean that it is difficult for him to stay. He said he was unable to get his own bank account or sim card for his phone and that he had to rely on Zandile, who is from the country, to do everything for him.

The father-of-three started the process of acquiring British passports for his children in October last year. He confessed that he initially sent copies - not originals - of the required birth certificates to the passport office, but subsequently sent the necessary documents.

He said that, despite explaining that he was now living in the UK, the birth certificates sent by the passport office back to the home in Cape Town, where they no longer live. After making a complaint, he managed to get the the paperwork back. To Carl's disbelief, he received one passport for Harley but none for his other two children. He says this error has amplified their predicaments, forcing separation between him and his family - who've been enduring nine days without power in Soweto.

Carl's three children are currently in South Africa (Chronicle Live)

The passport office has now asked him to resubmit the applications. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with his family, Carl also travelled to London and applied for South African passports for his children. He said: "I'm trying to get both passports for them. It's a case of first come first serve. Currently I'm staying at my mother's at the minute. Once we have confirmation that they are coming over I will be looking for a place to rent. We'll be in the Gateshead area surrounded by family."

"My mother has only met the twins once, when they were one years old, and she is yet to meet my son Freddie. He's named after my grandfather."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are in contact with the family to ensure they receive the support and direction they require regarding the applications. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Rom Preston-Ellis