TWO young Nepalese children left homeless by their country’s devastating earthquake are involved in a visa wrangle over their right to remain with their extended family in Scotland.
The children are currently being looked after by relatives in Fife, following the disaster which saw two earthquakes in the region kill 9,000 people, injured more than 26,000 and destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of people earlier this year.
UK Immigration Enforcement, formerly the UK Border Agency has rejected the children’s applications for a six-month visa.
However, an MP has intervened to ensure the youngsters, who have not been named, get their wish to continue to be cared for by their family.
The SNP’s Douglas Chapman has called on UK Immigration Enforcement to re-consider their applications.
Mr Chapman, who represents Dunfermline and West Fife, explained the children’s extended family in Scotland have made clear they are prepared to fund the stay of their niece and nephew. However, the agency has rejected the children’s applications.
“The UK Government needs to recognise this humanitarian case,” declared the backbencher, who has written to James Brokenshire, the Immigration Minister, to raise the Nepalese children’s case.
“The family in Scotland want to look after their niece and nephew while their home is re-built as the trauma of living in such difficult conditions is affecting the health and well-being of the entire family. The children’s parents also have caring responsibilities for the family’s ageing grandfather and grandmother, so, given the overall conditions, they are in a very bad situation all round,” explained Mr Chapman.
“The UK Immigration Enforcementhas rejected the children’s applications for a six-month visa to help give the family well-needed humanitarian respite. I feel that with all the current controversy about illegal immigration that the genuine humanitarian cases are being treated in a less favourable way.
“It is easy to see how what it would mean for these children, if the visa was granted and they could get some sense of normality back into their lives even for a few short months,” he said.
Mr Chapman added: “Wilma Mentiplay and her husband BJ, whose brother is the children’s father, have fostered children in Fife for 27 years and are well-used to looking after children who have come from very vulnerable backgrounds.
“They know their niece and nephew well from previous visits and the assimilation into the local community would be smooth given both children already have very good English.”
Nepal suffered two major earthquakes this year. One in April killed more than 9000 people and injured more than 23,000. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, which killed at least 19 people, making it the deadliest day on the mountain in history. In an aftershock, the country suffered a second earthquake a month later when more than 200 people died and more than 3000 were injured.
More than £83 million towards helping the country get back on its feet has also been raised through the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal.
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