A widower with a British daughter was left "terrified" after the Home Office ordered him to leave the UK.
After tragically losing his British wife Suzannah, 35, to cancer in 2020, Dr Bobby Stuijfzand, who lives in Chalfont and Latimer in Buckinghamshire, had been working to secure a future for himself and his six-year-old daughter Malou - a British citizen.
But, suddenly, Government correspondence informed him earlier this month that his entry clearance had been removed "because you have stopped working for your sponsor", with threats to cancel his visa.
The notification added: "You do not have a right of appeal or administrative review against the decision to cancel your permission to stay."
The devoted father, 39, terrified about the effect the decision would have on his family, set about fighting it but found the process complex and weighted towards refusing any appeals. The Home Office later admitted that the letter was sent by mistake, reports My London.
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Dr Stuijfzand told MyLondon: "Even if there was a possibility of appealing before the decision is actioned, and it wasn't shrouded in dark patterns, it’s hard to understand what you need to do. Had I been abroad, my leave to remain would have been cut off immediately.
Dr Stuijfzand's wife, Suzannah, sadly died in 2020 (MyLondon / BPM Media)"Now we’ve been given a 60-day grace period [because I was in the UK and was able to query it], but it’s affected my six-year-old, who is also a British citizen. I can’t put her on the train independently [if I were in the Netherlands and she needed to return to the UK without me]- it’s completely not appropriate [the way the decision was made and communicated]."
He said the letter he received had a phone number that's no longer in use, and a website containing guidance for telling the Home Office there has been an error is not relevant to an individual case like his. Dr Stuijfzand added that it's written in a way that assumes you have no right to appeal.
He said: "It's essentially a list of reasons not to process [your application to appeal], and just one paragraph on how to process it if it should be processed. So, it's a very hostile style of communicating, especially when you get an answer like that, and essentially it just cancels all your rights to be here. Which, in my case - I own a place and my daughter goes to school here - that's quite a lot."
Dr Stuijfzand told MyLondon: "Even if there was a possibility of appealing before the decision is actioned, and it wasn't shrouded in dark patterns, it’s hard to understand what you need to do. Had I been abroad, my leave to remain would have been cut off immediately.
"Now we’ve been given a 60-day grace period [because I was in the UK and was able to query it], but it’s affected my six-year-old, who is also a British citizen. I can’t put her on the train independently [if I were in the Netherlands and she needed to return to the UK without me]- it’s completely not appropriate [the way the decision was made and communicated]."
The Home Office initially said Bobby's visa would be cancelled without appeal (PA Archive/PA Images)He said the letter he received had a phone number that's no longer in use, and a website containing guidance for telling the Home Office there has been an error is not relevant to an individual case like his. Dr Stuijfzand added that it's written in a way that assumes you have no right to appeal.
He said: "It's essentially a list of reasons not to process [your application to appeal], and just one paragraph on how to process it if it should be processed. So, it's a very hostile style of communicating, especially when you get an answer like that, and essentially it just cancels all your rights to be here. Which, in my case - I own a place and my daughter goes to school here - that's quite a lot."
Dr Stuijfzand understands that the Home Office has retracted its decision, but he has not yet received official confirmation as of this afternoon (Tuesday, June 27).
A spokesperson for the Home Office told MyLondon: "Unfortunately a visa cancellation letter was issued to Dr Stuijfzand in error. We have issued a retraction, and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused him and his family."
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