A couple fear they will be unable to be together for the birth of their first child due to Labour’s plan to increase the standard of English proficiency required before people can enter the UK.
The plans are contained in the new immigration white paper that introduces a new English language requirement across a broader range of immigration routes for both main applicants and dependants, including an assessment of improvements over time.
Elen Soghomonyan, 23, and her husband, Dmitri Piliposyan, 25, married in January 2022. Soghomonyan is a British citizen, born and raised in the UK, who graduated from Royal Holloway University of London in law with criminology and hopes to train as a barrister.
She is of Armenian heritage, and the couple married in Armenia as Piliposyan does not have permission to come to the UK. Soghomonyan, who is 11 weeks pregnant, travels to Armenia every couple of months to see her husband.
However, although Home Office officials say Piliposyan meets the entry criteria in terms of the couple’s relationship and the income requirement he has not passed the English test. He and his wife say this is because he has been diagnosed with diffuse sclerosis, a condition that causes fatigue, weakness in his legs and an inability to concentrate and memorise things.
The department rejected a request from his lawyer for an exemption from the English test requirement due to his medical condition, saying that the case does not meet the “exceptional circumstances” measure for an exemption. The couple are appealing against the refusal.
When they heard the announcement on Monday about the government’s plan to introduce a higher bar for English proficiency they were both devastated.
Soghomonyan said: “My husband has tried to pass the English exam a few times but his medical condition got in the way. The announcement that they are making the English requirement harder made me feel very angry and disappointed. It is just unfair and is no way for us to build a civilised marriage. It is very difficult for us to be apart from each other.”
She said that she and her husband speak every day on the phone and sometimes have WhatsApp video call connecting them while they’re sleeping as a substitute for being physically together.
“The whole visa application process with the Home Office has caused me anxiety and depression, something I never previously experienced,” said Soghomonyan. “I never had any mental health issues before but this whole situation with the Home Office has turned my world around completely 1 million per cent. I don’t even know if my husband will be with me when I give birth.”
Piliposyan said: “Just when I think I am getting closer to live with my wife, the Home Office add another hurdle. I have always dreamt of creating my own family life, but the Home Office has built the wall in front of us. I am truly devastated. The most valuable person in my life is my wife and I find it difficult to be without her. She paints my life with beautiful colours.”
The couple’s solicitor, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, said: “A British citizen, born and raised in the UK, is being forced to live apart from her husband. He has been diagnosed with a disability, but despite clear medical evidence, the application for an exemption from the English test requirement was denied.
“Under the government’s new white paper, English language requirements will be expanded, making it even harder for families to reunite or settle – especially those affected by disability. What kind of system denies a British citizen the right to choose their life partner? What kind of fairness is this?”
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
