People from a Muslim minority group can now reunite with loved ones in the UK, after the Home Office accepts it wrongly rejected visa applications.
Ahmadis are persecuted in Pakistan, and authorities there do not accept the community as Muslim. This persecution is well-documented, and here in the UK, the Home Office recognises Ahmadis as refugees.
However, Ahmadis in the UK have endured long-term separation from their partners and families, because the Home Office was wrongly rejecting their visa applications.
The Home Office usually requires married couples to include their marriage certificate in an application for a UK spouse visa. But Ahmadis can’t get marriage certificates in Pakistan, as the authorities refuse to recognise their marriages.
The Home Office was fully aware of the persecution that Ahmadis face in Pakistan, and the fact that their marriages were not recognised. Despite this, they continued to refuse Ahmadis in the UK the right to reunite with their partners…