I CAN'T COME HOME: Man faces YEARS in Amsterdam as Home Office DON'T believe he's British
A Bristol man and his family are barred from coming back to the UK after a "paper-work mix up", leaving him and his family stranded in Amsterdam for years.
Bristolian Kevin Bees and his young family have been forced to leave the UK
It is said they may not be able to come back to the UK until 2021.
38-year-old Kevin Bees claims that the Home Office refused his British status, and says he and his family are now "stuck in a pile and left" by UK immigration authorities.
Mr Bees was planning to return from Australia with his wife Jodie and baby daughter when the catastrophe occurred.
They wanted to move back into a house mr Bees owned in Kingswood so he could be closer to his family.
But an unexpected mix up in paperwork caused chaos for the young family, with officials insisting that they had just two weeks to leave the country.
It just feels like our application has been stuck in a pile and left.
Mr Bees had migrated to Australia 10 years ago after he was laid off from his job at Airbus.
It was there that he met his wife Jodie, and had their daughter, Luella, who is now 14 months old.
The couple's dilemma started last year, when they decided to move back to the UK, and Mr Bees applied to sponsor Jodie's UK visa.
However the Home Office did not believe he was British, Mr Bees claims.
They also did not believe his finances were good enough to be her sponsor.
The family are banned from entering the UK, and are still unclear on when they can return
Mr Bees said: "It completely baffles me. I included my National Insurance number and passport. I just don’t get it, it’s easy to find out my nationality. You have to prove three things.
Mr Bees was dismissed as "not British" by UK immigration officials
They returned back to the UK in February on a Tourist Visa, but shortly after, they were told by the Home Office to pack their bags and leave the country until the appeal was complete.
Since then, the family has been residing in Amsterdam with a friend and have no idea how long they would have to remain there.
Mr Bees predicts it could take up to four years.
He said: "We have no idea how long it’s going to take. My concern is the appeals process could take 48 months to review the case.
“What we’re finding from talking to other people in a similar situation is that it’s typically taking 12 to 18 months for cases to be reviewed. It’s not a cheap process.
“So far we’ve spent about $6,000. There’s the application fee, processing fee, money to the NHS, we paid a fee to have the application expedited, it costs money to appeal the decision and we have also had to hire a migration agent."
“We’re allowed to be here, we’re going to bring value to the economy. It just feels like our application has been stuck in a pile and left.
“It’s the uncertainty that’s the worst. It not easy when you can’t live in your own country, having to move to a new culture, a place where we don’t speak the language."
The Bees family are stuck in Amsterdam until further notice