A RISCA woman is pleading with the UK Government to allow her family to be reunited - and for her husband to be able to be a father to their son.

Sophie Rexha and her husband Azem Rexha have spent the majority of their three years together apart - maintaining their relationship as best they can through online communication and calls.

The couple, who met on holiday in Italy and “fell in love almost instantly”, have been kept apart by failed Visa applications, with Mrs Rexha being in Risca and her husband in Albania.

Mr Rexha even missed the birth of their son Alteo John Rexha and has missed the first five months of his life, after being refused two visitor visas by the Home Office to allow him to be present at the birth. Instead, Mr Rexha had to make do with a video call.

When the couple met in Italy, they became inseparable. Mrs Rexha said: “I knew I needed to leave soon but dreaded the thought of being away from him. So, I extended my stay for another ten days. It still wasn’t enough, I knew that I had to see him again, so we met again a month later.

“We hated the distance, we just wanted to be together wholeheartedly.”

When the couple began looking into making their relationship permanent, they found it to be more complicated than expected. “We didn’t know how difficult it would become for us to be a family. We had no idea about visas or immigration rules and quite frankly didn’t care at the time. We were in love and none of that mattered until we wanted more than just two weeks together every three months.”

In December 2019, the couple got married in the picturesque Kukës in Albania. Despite being married, the couple have been denied the visas needed to settle down together and their relationship has had to be maintained through visits to Albania and via online communication - something Mrs Rexha says the Home Office has suggested they use to continue their relationship.

“We have had three refused visa applications, each one a different excuse [was given]. We have paid thousands to our solicitor and are still told we cannot be together.”

Their plight was made worse during the Covid-19 pandemic with the international travel rules and lockdowns, and the joy of expecting their first child was met with frustration and anger at the fact they were still apart.

“We found out that we were expecting a baby during lockdown last year. I had to come home back to the UK without my husband and father of my child.”

When Mrs Rexha was five months pregnant, they applied for a visitor visa for Mr Rexha to be present at the birth of their child. It was denied. They also applied for one in September, just two months before the birth, which was also denied. “Our first child and my husband were denied of their basic human rights.

“A father was denied the right to watch his own child being brought into this world, a moment a lot of parents will never forget and mine never even got the chance to.”

“We welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world in November. My husband watched through my mobile phone.

“He wasn’t able to hold him in his first moments or hear his first cry. He is five months old and hasn’t met his father. He is becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings and is reaching out to his dad, only to be met with a glass screen.”

Earlier this month, the Home Office refused a family visa application and provided the reasoning was “that we have maintained our relationship by ‘modern communication’ thus far.” They also stated Mrs Rexha’s ability to be able to travel to Albania to visit her partner during the relationship and that they should continue this way.

“My husband and I have been able to maintain our marriage by me travelling back and forth to visit him because we had no other choice. This is all going to change now we have a child together. And travelling across Europe is now more difficult than ever, given the current pandemic.

“The Home Office expect our son to grow up knowing his dad via social media. How can they justify this as a legitimate reasoning for refusing a visa application? How is our child supposed to build a relationship with his father if he sees him once a year and the rest of the time through a six-inch screen? His father is just as much a parent to our son as I am, so why are the Home Office keeping them apart?

“My husband has missed the newborn cuddles, the first time our baby smiled, the late nights and early mornings, the first giggle. All the moments us parents cherish.”

MORE NEWS:

Mrs Rexha graduated from university shortly before young Alteo was born and therefore had not been able to seek employment due to the pregnancy, which means that despite Mr Rexha’s job in Albania, the couple currently do not meet the financial requirements of an £18,600 annual earning. Mrs Rexha is now searching for a job to be able to continue the fight to have her husband join her and their son as well as to try and meet the financial requirements.

“The financial requirement is a ridiculously high amount which is difficult to achieve for a lot of people. The Home Office do not consider each countries’ ability to earn this amount of money. For someone in Albania, it is virtually impossible to come close to earning this amount and employment is few and far between.

“The immigration system is completely unjust and inhumane. Those who want to enter the country the correct way are being penalised through every little detail.

“We are appealing against the Home Office’s reasonings to keep our family separated, however, the solicitor fees are all building up. I am having to search for employment while being on ‘maternity’ and losing out on precious moments with my son. Also we’ll be having to pay for additional childcare because my husband cannot be here to share the duties with me.”

The couple are worried about the effect this will have on their son as he gets older and also the stress it is having on them and their family. The family believe that it is unfair as there are already provisions in place so that when Mr Rexha is able to come over, they will be supported and he will be able to find employment quite quickly.

There has been some good news in the couple’s journey, with the Albanian government putting a plane on earlier this week to allow Mrs Rexha and young Alteo to return to Albania so Mr Rexha is able to meet his son.

“We know this trip will end eventually and we’re trying to do everything to get Azem over to the UK to start our life together.”

A spokeswoman for the Home Office, which does not comment on individual cases, said: “Applicants wishing to come to the UK must meet the requirements of the route they are applying too.

“For family visas, applicants must be able to financially support themselves and meet minimum income thresholds to prevent burdens being placed on the taxpayer.

“For visitor visas, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria, such as that they will leave the UK at the end of their visit and that they are able to financially support themselves and their dependents during their trip.”