Deportation of service families ‘cruel and ungrateful’
March 11th, 2008 by Nick Harvey MP — Press Coverage, Welfare
Lib Dem Shadow Defence Secretary Nick Harvey is supporting a campaign against the deportation of non-British ‘army spouses’ like Samantha Crozier, who is married to a British Lance Corporal and has two young children.Â
 He told the BBC:
“Like all Armed Forces families, the Croziers have made huge sacrifices in the service of this country. For the government to claim that they have no right to be here is cruel and ungrateful in the extreme. We have a duty to ensure the welfare of this family.
“That’s why I’m campaigning for a written military covenant to ensure that the government faces up to its duty of care.”
Nick will be petitioning the government to recognise its duty of care to families like the Croziers as part of the Lib Dems’ campaign for a full, written military covenant.
Read the full BBC News report here
Click here to see the Early Day Motion (EDM) Nick Harvey has tabled on this issue
 Click here to write to your MP asking them to sign the EDM
23 comments ↓
I thank you very much for writing this. I am not asking but Begging for ALL Mp’s not to icnore this. Myself and others have been by our partners sides, supported them in there times of need and just been there. We now need the support and I hope we will be heard.
Samantha is my daughter-in-law. Her case has highlighted the many injustices that our service personnel have to endure. It is time we acted now to ensure that families of serving personel are protected by our government and not pushed aside or left to sort out the mess.
Samantha is my son’s wife and the mother of my two grandsons. It appears that none of them have any rights at all. How can this be?
A claim under article 8 (right to a family life) of the EUHRA might work. Just a thought if that hasn’t already been tried.
Like Jean Keep, those children are also my grandchildren. Like Jean, I was also born in England. As I also was a military child, I know what it is like to be forced to move without ever having any permanent place to call home. My siblings and I were fortunate that we had our mother around to be able to give us guidance. Why should my grandchildren now be denied the same?
My parents were both British WW2 veterans who fought to keep England safe. Surely this cannot be the same England that is now trying to evict my daughter, leaving my grandchildren without a mother!
Thank you for writing this. Sami has been my best friend since Kinderguarden and she has been the best mother and a great person. We need to find some way to keep her with her family, it would mean so much to her and to me!
If there is anything I can do here in Canada, please let me know. I would love to help!
I can’t believe that England, which is my birth country, although I have been living in Canada for the past 50+ years would do this to anyone, not just my niece. Separating a mother from her children for any length of time is These children need their mother. It borders on cruelty. Why hasn’t the army stepped in to help with procedure of Samantha gaining her British citizenship? Samantha’s grandparents where both WW2 verterans as was her great grandfather. What is the world coming to?
Aunt Teri - Canada
If the Home office continue to dig their heels on over this simply on the grounds that as the spouse of a Brit Cit she needs a prior entry clearance to reside in the UK, then the fastest way of resolving it is for her MP/Solicitor to make reps to the foreign office to process her application swiftly. In that instsnce she would only have to be out of the country for a very limited time (a couple of weeks should be plenty). Liaison with the British consular/visa section of wherever the application is being made might be a more sucessful solution than fighting the ‘rules are rules’ mentality being applied here by the Home Office.
I have found the following information to be of interest in this matter:
To quote the Commonwealth of Nations Benefits to Members : Some Commonwealth countries give Commonwealth citizens privileges that are not accorded to aliens. However, these privileges are largely not reciprocal, and it is up to each country to decide what privileges it accords to Commonwealth citizenship, except for the Commonwealth Scholarship. Other privileges that Britain grants Commonwealth citizens include access to immigration programmes such as the working holidaymaker visa. Some privileges offered by individual countries have eroded over the last few decades, but most countries continue to afford special treatment for immigration (e.g. right of abode in UK for some) and visas. Commonwealth citizens are also eligible to join the British armed forces.
A Commonwealth citizen, formerly known as a British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations.
In British nationality law, a Commonwealth citizen is a person who is either a British citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen, British Overseas citizen, British subject, British National (Overseas) or a national of a country listed in Schedule 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981.
Surely if the above is true, then Samanthat and her family should NOT be going through this hell! She is a British Citizen according to the above Commonwealth of Nations own statute!
This is deplorable and shaming for any family to go through - let alone one who serves this nation with pride and valour. If the above statements on the Commonwealth status are true, Samantha shoudl be given the highest leve of apology and her right to live in the UK immediately.
Jill I have read your comment and want to let you know a few facts.
1. With my husband being a British soldier not being able to get time off he will not be able to watch our children.
2.After spending £395 on a failed residency I now need to fly to canada, get a hotel and apply again I cannot afford this let alone afford to take my children.
The question I ask you now is what happens to my 1 and 2 year old who have at longest been away from mommy for 1 hour?
where on a Lance Corprals wadge am I suppose to come up with all this money?
Also is this process going to take weeks, months or more?
Am I 100% assured that I will get my visa?
All in all I am fighting because I don’t have time to be away from my children (also bare in mind there birthday’s both being in my time away). Plus costs are just not there.
this isn’t right and should in my eyes be fought as I by rights shouldn’t even have to be thinking about this as it shouldn’t be a problem. As you most likely know my Grand parents being WW2 Vetrans for YOUR country, and my husband putting his life in front of this country I think my situation deserves to be looked at.
Samantha,
Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. I don’t agree with what the Home Office are trying to do at all but I also know how difficult it can be to get them to change there minds and often a different route has more success. Personally I am appalled at your treatment. My advice was meant with the best of intentions, unaware of what your specific domestic and financial situation was.
Apologies
Jill,
Please don’t apologise, I know what you were saying but want my FULL story known and the hard facts which are not so known. I agree it would be faster to go the right way but this way if I can’t help myself at least maybe hopefully I can change it so others will not have to face the same horror I am now.
thanks for your comments as they enabled me to shed a little light on why it’s not so easy for us.
Not only has this story disgusted me, it is ‘close to home’ my being a Canadian citizen with background in immigration work.
I came to UK in 1986 with US-born wife and three little girls under seven years of age.They were born in USA but have CAnadian passports through me. I entered UK under via my right of abode through UK ancestry, as a Commonwealth citizen. All my grand parents were born in UK.
Recently my three grown daughters were ‘hassled’ by UK immigration when they applied for new stamps until I stepped in to reassure them of their status. They all now have UK-born children.
The reason why Samantha Crozier was turned down was hard-headed bureaucracy. She had not been living in UK married to British husband for at least three years. Furthermore, despite the letter saying ‘ you do not have a right to appeal’, that only applied to why they turned down request for citizenship based upon marriage to husband. EVERYBODY has a right to appeal ANY government agency decision or action through the process of Judicial Review in Administrative Court.
Apparently S. Crozier has a British mother. Therefore she can apply for ‘right of abode’ as a commonwealth citizen, and, she can do it from within the UK. Just make sure she does it before the April 30th deadline.
It costs #135.00 last month, but might have gone up to 160 this month, given new forms.
The Page on Borders and Immigration Agency for applying for Right of Abode as a Commonwealth citizen with UK ancestry is :
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/righttoliveinuk/claimrightofabode/application/
Furthermore, if Samantha Crozier was born between 1961-1982, and her mother was British citizen when she was born, she can apply for registration as a British citizen through her mother’s British citizen registration.
All this stuff is on the Borders and Immigration website. The bureaucrats just fail to tell people where to find it and what reasonable alternatives to take. Samantha Crozier DOES NOT have to go back to Germany or over to Canada to make application for Right of Abode, or, British citizenship through her mother …. JUST AS LONG AS SHE FILES BEFORE HER CURRENT VISA EXPIRES.
Aslo, find an immigration adviser who is ‘ worth his or her salt’ to speak for you, if necessary. They can be found on website site Commissioner for Immigration Advisers.
I have now set up a petition for the public to sign to help Samantha Crozier and other spouses in her position. Please go to:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/crozier/
Thank you
I have, of course, signed the petition - I was disgusted that this mother of two was to be deported. What on earth were the people at immigration doing at the airport? More governmental incompetence which really is not to be tolerated. The Croziers have my full support.
Immigration controls in this country are a shambles. This is one of the more shambolic episodes in that “not fit for purpose” ministry.
It is shameful that someone in Samantha Crozier’s position should be facing deportation for what seems to have been an honest mistake in navigating our arcane and not-fit-for-purpose immigration system. I have signed the petition and am delighted that the Liberal Democrats have taken up this cause.
Re: Nick Clegg
PM’S lacking invitation to the Dalai Lama
30 years ago I was invited to attend a talk given by a young Tibetan at the Africa centre Covent Garden.
The young man I met must be in his fifties now and if not arrested or dead will presumably now be a leader of the current protest in Lassar. Before he spoke he ran a film documentary about Tibet after the Chinese invasion of 59
At the time the Chinese Government were following a programme to demolish thousand year old Temples with the objective that not one stone should to rest upon another. This was part of a Chinese cultural re education programme The film went on to outline the importance of Buddhist faith to a Tibetan, with its central tenant that if offered violence do not respond with violence as it feeds a monster.
This turned out to be somewhat ironic, as it transpired that the objective of the speaker that night was to raise money from us for arms, as he explained they only had a few old handguns and grenades to oppose The Chinese Army.
The central message of the film was still ringing in my ears so I asked him, perhaps unfairly, whether an armed struggle wasn’t in conflict with his core beliefs,
Rather sanctimoniously (I was 20), I said that surely it would be better for you to die with your principals rather than die fighting without them. I don’t think he expected the question and had to reluctantly admit that he did not have the support of the then Dalai Lama in his quest.
That young man and would be Guerilla was suffering from the same blind spot seen in Palestine’s young men both Israeli and Arab when discussing homeland because it’s impossible to distance yourself when your core cultural existence is in question.
My homeland is not under threat and I can afford to pose interesting questions but I am not sure what my answer would be if it were, however I am sure what the current Dalai Lama views are, he has not broken with the Buddhist tradition of non violence for which the Americans gave him the Congressional medal of honour.
Even in the face of what he now calls cultural genocide he dose not support the riots and offers to resign, that threat has huge implications to Tibetans as within their tradition he is the reincarnate of all Dalai Lamas. In accusing him of encouraging violence The Chinese Government has inadvertently shown its own weakness as armed intervention is as forlorn now as it was when The British Empire struck out at Ghandi. One can fight an army but not an idea especially one led by a principal of non violence.
The British Foreign Office would prefer a developing dialogue with China via the Olympics regarding human rights however I am personally aware that not every Tibetan’s view is as measured as The Dalai Lama and I don’t think they are going to get the protracted dialogue and commercial easy ride they are looking for.Gordon Brown was asked in Parliament if he had plans to meet the Dalai Lama, a man who has never offered any other view than non violence when her arrives in the UK this May - yes or no.
He prevaricated as well he might with so many deals set up with China after his recent visit and the American economy in free fall. That equivocation offered another green light to Beijing and Army Lorries are now travelling around Lassar, doors are being kicked in Monks arrested and re educated if they are lucky. It also ended any aspiration to ethical foreign policy by this Government which after Gordons vote for the invasion of Iraq was tenuous in the extreem.
With a supreme irony the Chinese Government closed access to Mount Everest in Tibet whilst a team of mountaineers take the Olympic torch and flame of freedom to the roof of the World
Many young men perhaps led by the man I met,will not accept the dying of their cultural light quite so philosophically as their exiled religious leader.I do not endorse riots but observe that violence breeds violence The Chinese Government was wrong to invade in the first place and camera phones are not so friendly to re education programmes and The Olympics have apparently provided
The Chinese Government with more than one World Arena >>Peter Greenhill Vice Chair Hendon LD
Our Men And women of the armed forces there families and all those that support them my thoughts go with you my comment is that this country should do all that it can to look after these people and the mps could and should do better i am very proud of all of these and very proud of being from this country but very dissapointed the way they are being treated and hope some day that i can make a difference to help and support all of you.
Maybe you should have entered the country as an illegal immigrant, been given a 7 day pass to get out of the country and then disappeared like all the others have. How silly (sic) of you to think that this government is going to help the spouse of an armed forces personnel when they dont even help the armed forces. Good luck with your mission and hope that all goes well, being a forces wife myself I will pass on your petition to all my service friends and family - you have our support. PS Gordon Brown will NOT be getting my vote in the next election.
Having spent 35 years in the Army and for much of that time in appointments dealing with “casualties”, I am concerned about aftercare (dead or alive). Units are not too bad in dealing with service personnel still with the unit. COs need to concentrate on their unit role rather than aftercare. When people are dead or injured there is no real organisation to help families and the system relies on duty officers. Military funerals and aftercare can be very callous. Long term injured just disappear into the NHS. Regimental associations and the overall organisations such as RBL can help but they do not have the resources. There is no real support and the MOD financiers are really hard-hearted. You may wish to look at what happens post casualty.
When I was in the Navy some of my friends married foreigh wives and there was no question of their not being able to stay in this country so what has changed?
I served in the forces and I am absolutely disgusted with the situation Samantha Crozier and her family find themselves in. Furthermore if LCpl Crozier is posted she will not be allowed to accompany him! WHAT is going on with our country?
Thanks for all of these comments: we are delighted that Samantha has now won her campaign to stay in the UK!
We are however determined to continue pressuring the government on this issue. Samantha’s campaign to be allowed to stay in the UK has come at huge cost to her and her family, and there are many other military families still stuck in this position.
Rest assured that the Lib Dems will continue to press for a better military welfare system; one that recognises the considerable sacrifices made by service personnel and their loved ones.
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