A couple in Cornwall have spoken of their delight after a last minute UK spouse visa decision has meant that they can continue their lives together.
Karina Muriel, originally from Colombia, married her husband Allen in March 2013 and was granted a UK fiancée visa to do so. However, confusion arose after she sent her passport to the British Embassy in Colombia to have it stamped only to be told that she had to be there in person to get the stamp. The delay this caused meant that she was deemed to have 'overstayed' and the Home Office therefore refused her the right to remain in the country.
But now the story has taken a turn for the better. Following the couple's appeal to local paper 'West Briton' about the matter they were contacted by the Home Office to grant a UK spouse settlement visa to Karina.
Allen Murial spoke to the paper having finally received the good news the pair were hoping for: “We are both delighted and it's just a massive relief. We can start planning our life again and stop living in limbo.
“Karina has to return to Colombia to collect the stamp in her passport, so once she has done that we can consider having our honeymoon at last and thinking about our future without worrying about where we will be.”
As well as receiving help from the local paper the pair were also supported by their local MP, George Eustice, who pushed for the Home Office to reconsider.
The couple's pub, The Pendarves Inn, is due to remain closed for the time being while the couple sort out the final details for the spouse visa, which will involve a trip to Colombia. But they are hoping to carry out a full refurbishment once they return, ready to open for the new season.