I appreciate her hard work from the bottom of my heart

Sami,* a former translator who worked with American and Allied forces in Afghanistan, is a client of our immigration team.

He came to the UK in 2016, claimed asylum and was granted refugee status in 2019. His family remained in Afghanistan. He applied for family reunion visas for his wife and teenage son at the beginning of 2021; however, the Home Office did not believe the relationship and refused the initial application. Our immigration solicitor lodged an appeal and obtained DNA evidence, but due to the additional time this took, the visas were not granted until August 2021, only a few days before the deadline for evacuation of Afghanistan.

As a result, Sami’s wife and son were forced to flee to Pakistan. They were badly treated on route, all their money and medication was stolen and Sami’s wife who – like him – is disabled, ended up needing treatment in hospital. He sent all the money he had to them but that still wasn’t enough to cover their food, accommodation and hospital fees, not to mention the expense of their travel to the UK.

After a number of generous donations, and at great personal financial cost to them, the family has now been reunited in the UK where they are slowly trying to rebuild their lives. Speaking after their arrival, Sami said:

‘I am very very pleased. I am thankful of God that they are here. She [our immigration solicitor] helped me a lot. I really appreciate her help and her hard work from the bottom of my heart. It was very nice and kind of her and of the whole organisation.’

*not his real name