A British family's dream move to India has descended into an 18-month bureaucratic nightmare, leaving them stranded and desperate for help from the UK government.
Their local MP, Catherine West, has launched a scathing attack on the Foreign Office and Home Office, accusing them of a "complete lack of urgency" in resolving the family's complex immigration case. The Hornsey and Wood Green MP has now taken the extraordinary step of demanding a meeting with the Foreign Secretary to break the deadlock.
The crisis began when the family, who have not been named to protect their privacy, relocated to India for work. Shortly after their arrival, they applied for new documentation for their child, born just before the move. What should have been a straightforward process has become an impossible quagmire, trapping the family indefinitely.
A System Failure
Despite the family providing extensive evidence and the MP's office repeatedly escalating the case, progress has been non-existent. "We have supplied everything they have asked for, and more", the family stated, highlighting their growing frustration and despair.
Ms. West emphasised the severe human cost of the administrative failure, stating: "This is a really serious situation where a young family is unable to return to the UK through no fault of their own... It is outrageous that my constituents have been left in limbo for a year and a half."
Call for Urgent Government Action
The case raises serious questions about the support British nationals receive from consular services when faced with complex legal issues abroad. The MP's intervention underscores a broader concern about the Home Office's capacity to handle sensitive immigration cases efficiently and with compassion.
This isn't the first time Ms. West has had to battle government departments on behalf of her constituents stuck in immigration crises, pointing to a potential systemic issue within Whitehall.
