The visa application arrived at the Home Office in Sheffield the next day. However, a month later, the Home Office claimed they had not received the paperwork. A complaint from the couple’s lawyer had little impact, and the Home office insisted they have not received the paperwork for the next seven weeks – before finally admitting they had it after all.
In June, the couple received an email saying that the decision to refuse their application had been overturned. This was a surprise as neither they nor the lawyer was even aware the visa had been rejected in the first place! A visa was promised for the father imminently.
The family, three months later, have a new-born baby in Britain who has not yet met his own father – who is unable to make the journey as his passport was lost by an office in Auckland. The only option left is a Judicial Review which could cost the couple thousands of pounds in legal fees.