FOR the veteran MP Angus MacNeil it was “probably the most callous case” he’d been asked for help on in his time as Na h-Eileanan an Iar’s representative in the House of Commons.
It was the tale of a 14-year-old girl, abandoned by her mother at the age of two, effectively orphaned at the age of 12 by the death of her father, and left “stateless” because of a bureaucratic nightmare at the Home Office.
The story shocked readers of The National when we first reported on it last month and when MacNeil raised it in Parliament.
READ MORE: 14-year-old Scottish girl from the Western Isles is REFUSED a passport by the Home Office
But now, after months of anguish, the Government has relented and given the teenager a British passport.
The schoolgirl, who The National have been asked not to name, lives with her paternal grandparents on one of the Western Isles.
Because the family had no copy of the girl’s mother’s birth certificate, the Hebridean youngster couldn’t be awarded a passport, despite having been born in the UK and having lived here her entire life.
MacNeil said he was delighted with the news, and paid tribute to the Tory Home Office minister who helped fix the girl’s situation.
“When I raised this with Brandon Lewis MP, Immigration Minister, he told me that he was looking at this case personally and he has kept to his word.
“The family are now in the process of completing the passport application and they remain in contact with the Home Office, who are continuing to assist them with this process.”
In a statement, the girl’s grandparents said: “This has been a very long and stressful experience for us all.
“We are delighted that our MP Angus MacNeil intervened on our behalf and continued to keep pressure on the Home Office and we want to publically thank Angus MacNeil for all of his assistance.”
The family were original advised by the Home Office to apply for registration as a British citizen, but were then told not to do this, and instead, to apply for a status letter.
But this was rejected because the Home Office was unable to confirm the girl is a British citizen.
At the time a Home Office spokesman said: “Her Majesty’s Passport Office must be satisfied of an applicant’s nationality and identity before a passport will be issued.
“In more complex cases, UK Visas and Immigration will provide further advice to help applicants either supply the evidence that will satisfy these checks or apply to register as a British citizen.”
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