Hassan and Maryam are a Sudanese couple in their late twenties. After eight years of separation, they were finally reunited in Scotland in September 2021.
Hassan was forced to flee his home country and sought sanctuary in the UK, where he has been granted refugee status. Met die hulp van sy prokureur in Skotland,,en,Adam het aansoek gedoen vir gesinshereniging met Maryam en haar visum het aan die einde van,,en,Daar was baie onsekerhede oor internasionale reise op die hoogtepunt van die pandemie,,en,niks kon die egpaar voorberei het op die traumatiese ervarings wat Maryam op haar reis na die VK moes verduur nie,,en,Hassan het in Oktober vir die eerste keer Together Now genader,,en,sodat ’n saakwerker hom kon ondersteun met die aansoek om ’n rentevrye lening by RefuAid,,en,Dit is 'n rukkie later goedgekeur en Hassan kon vlugte vir Maryam bespreek,,en,Haar reis na die Verenigde Koninkryk was bedoel om eenvoudig te wees,,en,sy is vir etlike nagte op die Addis Abeba-lughawe aangehou,,en,waarheen sy op pad na die VK oorgereis het,,en, Adam applied for family reunion with Maryam and her visa came through at the end of 2020.
There were many uncertainties around international travel at the hight of the pandemic. Egter, nothing could have prepared the couple for the traumatic experiences that Maryam had to endure on her journey to the UK.
Hassan first approached Together Now in October 2020, so that a caseworker could support him with applying for an interest-free loan from RefuAid. This was approved a short while later and Hassan was able to book flights for Maryam.
Her journey to the UK was meant to be straightforward. Egter, she was detained for several nights at Addis Ababa airport, where she transited on the way to the UK. Haar paspoort is weggeneem en sy het geen inligting gekry oor wat aan die gebeur was nie,,en,Sy was bang,,en,en so ook haar man,,en,Together Now-saakwerker het dadelik met die voorspraakproses begin deur die lugdienste te kontak,,en,lughawe,,en,internasionale organisasies,,fr,Hassan se prokureur,,en,en die LP,,en,Uiteindelik,,en,Maryam is op 'n vlug terug Soedan toe gesit,,en,maar haar paspoort is gekonfiskeer,,en,Die egpaar het 'n prokureur in Soedan betrek om hulle te help om Maryam se paspoort terug te kry ná die hofproses wat etlike maande geduur het,,en,Maryam het haar paspoort terug ontvang net 'n paar dae voordat haar inreisvisum na die VK sou verval,,en,Teen daardie tyd,,en,die Britse regering het die verpligte hotelkwarantyn vir alle internasionale aankomste geïmplementeer,,en,Met 'n minimale inkomste van Universal Credit,,en. She was scared, and so was her husband.
Together Now caseworker immediately started with the advocacy process by contacting the airlines, airport, international organisations, Hassan’s solicitor, and the MP. Eventually, Maryam was put on a flight back to Sudan, but her passport was confiscated. The coupled had involved a solicitor in Sudan to help them get Maryam’s passport back after the court process that took several months.
Maryam received her passport back just a few days before her entry visa to the UK was due to expire. By that time, the UK government had implemented the obligatory hotel quarantine for all international arrivals. With a minimal income of Universal Credit, dit was nie vir Hassan moontlik om sulke hoë koste van die hotel te bekostig nie,,en,Die saakwerkers het namens die egpaar by die Skotse regering probeer pleit,,en,die departement van gesondheid en maatskaplike sorg en die LP,,en,maar die egpaar het min tyd gehad met die inreisvisum na die VK wat vinnig die vervaldatum nader,,en,Die enigste beskikbare vlugte wat ons vennote Miles4Migrants destyds kon bespreek, was na Engeland,,en,Vlugte is dikwels op die laaste oomblik gekanselleer weens die internasionale reisbeperkings,,en,so die egpaar was toenemend bekommerd dat Maryam nie sou kon reis op die vlugte wat vir die laaste dag van haar visumgeldigheid bespreek is nie,,en,Op die dag van die vertrek,,en,Maryam is verhinder om op die vlug by Khartoem-lughawe te klim en daar is weer op haar paspoort beslag gelê,,en.
The caseworkers tried to advocate on the couple’s behalf with the Scottish government, the Department of Health and Social Care and the MP, but the couple were running out of time with the entry visa to the UK approaching the expiry date quickly. The only available flights that our partners Miles4Migrants could book at the time were to England. Flights were often getting cancelled last minute due to the international travel restrictions, so the couple were increasingly worried that Maryam would not be able to travel on the flights booked for the last day of her visa validity.
On the day of the departure, Maryam was prevented from boarding the flight at Khartoum airport and her passport was seized again. Dit het Hassan se kommer bevestig dat Maryam waarskynlik deur die Soedanese owerhede geteiken word,,en,Die egpaar het weer 'n prokureur in Soedan betrokke gekry en die paspoort is na 'n paar weke terugbesorg,,en,Maryam se visum het toe verval,,en,Beide Hassan se LP en prokureur het onvermoeid gewerk om Maryam se visum heruitgereik te kry deur hul korrespondensie met die binnelandse kantoor,,en,Sodra Maryam se visum na 'n paar maande heruitgereik is,,en,die egpaar het Maryam se vertrek uit die buurland Egipte oorweeg om verdere probleme by die Khartoem-lughawe te vermy,,en,Dit was duidelik dat Maryam by bykomende ondersteuning sou baat wanneer sy na die Verenigde Koninkryk reis,,en,dus is die egpaar na die Britse Rooi Kruis verwys om met hul reisbystandsprogram ondersteun te word,,en.
The couple got a solicitor in Sudan involved again and the passport was returned after several weeks. Egter, Maryam’s visa had expired by then. Both Hassan’s MP and solicitor worked tirelessly to get Maryam’s visa reissued through their correspondence with the Home Office.
Once Maryam’s visa had been reissued after several months, the couple were contemplating Maryam’s departure from the neighbouring country of Egypt to avoid further problems at Khartoum airport. It was evident that Maryam would benefit from additional support when travelling to the UK, so the couple were referred to the British Red Cross to be supported with their travel assistance programme.
Met die ondersteuning van die Internasionale Organisasie vir Migrasie by die vertrek- en transito-lughawens,,en,Maryam het in September na Skotland aangekom,,en,Toe sy die verpligte hotel-kwarantyn betree het,,en,Hassan en Maryam het die Together Now-saakwerker gebel om dankie te sê,,en,Dit was 'n ongelooflike emosionele oproep vir almal,,en,Hassan die volgende dag gesê,,en,“Ek het ’n wonderlike gevoel van geluk,,en,En my gesin met haar familie,,en,En ek sien jou gelukkig – dit is baie verstommend,,en,Baie dankie,,en,Gister was 'n groot aand sonder om te dink,,en,sonder stres.”,,en,Na,,en,dae toe Maryam uit die hotelkwarantyn vrygelaat is en by Hassan by die huis aangesluit het,,en,sy het gese,,en,“Dankie vir jou tyd saam met ons,,en,Daar is geen woorde wat die omvang van jou hulp kan uitdruk nie, want dit beteken baie vir my,,en, Maryam arrived to Scotland in September 2021. When she entered into the obligatory hotel quarantine, Hassan and Maryam called the Together Now caseworker to say thank you. It was an incredibly emotional call for everyone.
Hassan said the following day: “I have a great feeling of happiness. And my family with her family. And I see you happy – that is very amazing. Thank you so much. Yesterday was a big night without thinking, without stress.”
After 10 days when Maryam had been released from the hotel quarantine and joined Hassan at home, she said: “Thank you for your time with us. There are no words that can express the extent of your help because it means a lot to me. Met jou teenwoordigheid en hulp,,en,dank die Here,,en,dinge het makliker geword,,en,Hassan bygevoeg,,en,“Sonder jou sou ek niks daaraan kon doen dat my vrou by haar kom aansluit nie,,en,Maar omdat jy my help,,en,dit is maklik en dit is so goed vir my,,en,Ek voel so gelukkig omdat mense help,,en,dit beteken baie dat ek nie alleen is nie.”,,en, thank God, things have become easier. Thank you very much.”
Hassan added: “Without you I couldn’t do anything about my wife to come her and join me. But because you help me, it is easy and it’s so good for me. I feel so happy because people help, that means a lot that I’m not alone.”
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