British woman, husband wait nearly a year for visa permit

A 67-year-old British woman who planned to return to Britain with her 80-year-old French husband after 30 years in France has told how Home Office delays have left them waiting nearly a year for the paperwork they need to set foot in the country.

Carmel and her husband Louis, who asked that their real names be not used, sold their house last year and packed up all their belongings after reading that it would take 15 days to get a family permit.

They applied for the paperwork on April 22 but have been in limbo for 10 months, camping out with their children and unable to get on with their lives.

We packed everything up. We sold the house. Carmel My husband went through a phase of being very depressed about the whole thing and was just non-communication from the Home Office, said Carmel My husband. He said: What are the Home Office waiting for me to die? I think we have got to the point of disbelief. We are in this situation, but how are we in this situation? Carmel said they had had a very happy 30 years in France but wanted to return home. We feel like we are a victim of the EU and there is nothing we can do about it. We are just waiting. She said we can't get on with our lives.

Carmel is one of thousands of British citizens living in Europe who are furious that their rights have been compromised because of Brexit despite government promises to the contrary.

British in Europe has written to four secretaries of state, including Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, and Priti Patel, the home secretary, begging them to deliver on the Conservative party promises that British citizens would not face an erosion of rights because of Brexit.

It has asked the four cabinet members, who also include Th r se Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, and Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, not to forget the 1.2 million British citizens in Europe and warn them of the four potential risks they face because of Brexit.

The issue of British citizens trying to return home is being asked by the government to extend a 29 March deadline for applications for settled status for non-UK spouses.

It wants to answer a request to issue a clear statement that family members who are entitled to enter the UK on a visitor permit will be able to move physically to the UK in order to stay under the EU settlement scheme.

It is thought that thousands of British nationals are waiting for permits to make the move permanent, but the Home Office has declined to answer questions from former Brexit select committee chair Hilary Benn for data.

British in Europe is closing after six years on the frontline due to the fact that it can't secure funds. In its valedictory letter, it tells cabinet members that support for Britons is more important than ever.

It has urged Truss and her colleagues to scrap the decision to stop funding in embassies and consular posts to support British citizens in the EU and the European Economic Area until at the end of 2022, because they believe that they need dedicated officers in post until at least the end of 2022.

It has urged them to implement the seven-year grace period on home fees and student finance for children of British people living in Europe and to make sure that changes to personal independence payments don't affect recipients in the EU.

The letter was sent ahead of a meeting on Monday by UK and EU officials sitting on a specialized committee on citizens rights.

Downing Street and the Home Office have been asked to make a statement.