Zimbabwean man wanting to join family in the UK
Jul 21st 2016, 2:07 pm
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
Good day guys.
Please bear with me as my case is very long. I am a 35 year-old man in Zimbabwe about to make an application to join my family back in the UK.
In 2004, just as Zimbabwe's economic slump was getting worse, I decided to find a way of leaving Zimbabwe for the UK. So I sourced around for US$3 000 back then and bought a Malawian passport from some guys who dealt with those things. I settled for a Malawian passport because at the time one didnt need a visa to travel to the UK on it. So once I got a Malawian passport, I travelled to the UK to seek any form of employment.
Upon arrival at Heathrow, I was told that I was going to be deported back to Zimbabwe because I didnt satisfy the Immigration Officer enough with the answers I had given her. So I was denied entry at about 2pm in the afternoon on January 14 2004.
However, I absconded from the airport at about 3am on January 15 as I was waiting to be deported. I dont know how I ran away from such a massive airport but the thought of coming back to Zimbabwe at the time was a no no. So I went and lived in Leeds for about 9 months.
Then Immigration caught up with me and took me back to Heathrow where I was to be deported back to Zimbabwe. I spent 5 days at a detention center before I was granted some time in the UK on grounds of asylum. That application failed and I was told to leave the country. However, I didnt leave and simply 'vanished'.
I then met my wife in Stockton-on-Tees and a relationship began in 2006. We are still together and we have had a 4 year-old daughter. Only last month, she had our second baby terminated because the baby had down syndrome.
I decided to leave the UK on my own and made an application to IOM for voluntary return to Zimbabwe which was granted and I left the UK in August 2009 because I was fed up of being an illegal immigrant and wanted to normalize my stay in the UK.
The advice I got then was that since I had come to the UK on a Malawian passport, I had to come back to Zimbabwe, wed my wife and register a real marriage with the authorities down here before making an application to join my wife.
As an African, there are traditional things that are done before you are allowed to wed someone's daughter and those we did in April this year when her entire family was here. She is returning here at the end of August for the wedding and then we start the process of applying for my spousal visa.
She is currently satisfying her side of things from accommodation, the amount needed over 6 months, in a nutshell, her side is very good. However, if there is anything that you guys may need to know from her, she has my password and she will follow this thread and respond as well as ask whenever necessary.
The reason I am asking this is that our application is set to be done around the end of October so I am kindly asking you guys to help us and furnish us with all the details required as well as the documents and supporting evidence needed.
I am 100% Zimbabwean, have a Zimbabwean passport, birth certificate and national ID as well as both my parents' Death Certificates. I am Zimbabwean in a nutshell. I wanted to know if my application would not succeed based on my earlier brush with the British authorities.
And also, those in the know, may you please furnish us with all the documents that are supposed to be provided. I have already downloaded the Appendix 2 forms as well as the VAF4A form that I am starting to fill out. These are not the ones we will submit but they are just being filled out in order not to make mistakes on the ones that we will submit.
Thank you guys for bearing with us.
Sorry if this post is the wrong forum. I am new here. Well, I am not new new, I religiously follow this forum but only joined recently.
Please bear with me as my case is very long. I am a 35 year-old man in Zimbabwe about to make an application to join my family back in the UK.
In 2004, just as Zimbabwe's economic slump was getting worse, I decided to find a way of leaving Zimbabwe for the UK. So I sourced around for US$3 000 back then and bought a Malawian passport from some guys who dealt with those things. I settled for a Malawian passport because at the time one didnt need a visa to travel to the UK on it. So once I got a Malawian passport, I travelled to the UK to seek any form of employment.
Upon arrival at Heathrow, I was told that I was going to be deported back to Zimbabwe because I didnt satisfy the Immigration Officer enough with the answers I had given her. So I was denied entry at about 2pm in the afternoon on January 14 2004.
However, I absconded from the airport at about 3am on January 15 as I was waiting to be deported. I dont know how I ran away from such a massive airport but the thought of coming back to Zimbabwe at the time was a no no. So I went and lived in Leeds for about 9 months.
Then Immigration caught up with me and took me back to Heathrow where I was to be deported back to Zimbabwe. I spent 5 days at a detention center before I was granted some time in the UK on grounds of asylum. That application failed and I was told to leave the country. However, I didnt leave and simply 'vanished'.
I then met my wife in Stockton-on-Tees and a relationship began in 2006. We are still together and we have had a 4 year-old daughter. Only last month, she had our second baby terminated because the baby had down syndrome.
I decided to leave the UK on my own and made an application to IOM for voluntary return to Zimbabwe which was granted and I left the UK in August 2009 because I was fed up of being an illegal immigrant and wanted to normalize my stay in the UK.
The advice I got then was that since I had come to the UK on a Malawian passport, I had to come back to Zimbabwe, wed my wife and register a real marriage with the authorities down here before making an application to join my wife.
As an African, there are traditional things that are done before you are allowed to wed someone's daughter and those we did in April this year when her entire family was here. She is returning here at the end of August for the wedding and then we start the process of applying for my spousal visa.
She is currently satisfying her side of things from accommodation, the amount needed over 6 months, in a nutshell, her side is very good. However, if there is anything that you guys may need to know from her, she has my password and she will follow this thread and respond as well as ask whenever necessary.
The reason I am asking this is that our application is set to be done around the end of October so I am kindly asking you guys to help us and furnish us with all the details required as well as the documents and supporting evidence needed.
I am 100% Zimbabwean, have a Zimbabwean passport, birth certificate and national ID as well as both my parents' Death Certificates. I am Zimbabwean in a nutshell. I wanted to know if my application would not succeed based on my earlier brush with the British authorities.
And also, those in the know, may you please furnish us with all the documents that are supposed to be provided. I have already downloaded the Appendix 2 forms as well as the VAF4A form that I am starting to fill out. These are not the ones we will submit but they are just being filled out in order not to make mistakes on the ones that we will submit.
Thank you guys for bearing with us.
Sorry if this post is the wrong forum. I am new here. Well, I am not new new, I religiously follow this forum but only joined recently.
Last edited by christmasoompa; Jul 21st 2016 at 2:34 pm. Reason: Posts merged - there is an 'edit' button if you think of something you want to add just after posting, thx.
Jul 21st 2016, 4:21 pm
#2
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,194
Re: Zimbabwean man wanting to join family in the UK
Normally a voluntary departure, either at your own or the government's expense, after overstaying or breaching a condition of your visa would result in a one to five year ban from reentering the UK however it appears you have been out of the UK for nearly seven years now so this would not apply in your circumstances.
From what you have said, providing you meet the other requirements, you should be granted your spouse visa. However it is vital that you fully disclosed your immigration history on your application form. Failure to do so could result in a ten year ban for deception.
From what you have said, providing you meet the other requirements, you should be granted your spouse visa. However it is vital that you fully disclosed your immigration history on your application form. Failure to do so could result in a ten year ban for deception.
Aug 3rd 2016, 3:12 pm
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
Re: Zimbabwean man wanting to join family in the UK
Thanks a lot BritInParis.
I plan on telling the truth on my application forms.
I plan on telling the truth on my application forms.
