THEY have lived here for almost a decade and have skills sorely needed in Scotland’s economy.
But one family knows only too well the difficulties of gaining official status in the UK.
Florina Cairns moved her young children to Angus in 2011 after falling in love with a Scot who was holidaying in her home country.
Ethnic Hungarians, Florina and her children Hunor and Dorothea left Romania’s mountainous Transylvania region behind for a life with husband Ian in Arbroath.
The language teacher, who has a degree in English and Italian, aims to re-enter the classroom, while Hunor, now 20, is in his third year of a Masters course in geology at Edinburgh University.
However, the family say question marks about their future remain following rejections for permanent residency and UK citizenship.
Hunor has been knocked-back for permanent residence three times by officials over problems with the paperwork. This includes one bid that failed when officials ruled a six-month-old photograph was too old. Another was rejected when his passport expired during the processing period.
Meanwhile, Florina says she was advised that, as the spouse of a British citizen, she could lodge an application for the status without first requiring the residence permit. Last month the Home Office cited the lack of permission for permanent residence as the reason for turning down the £1200 application.
The mother and son say guidance is at fault and are calling for the process to be simplified, with a “correction period” introduced to allow applicants time to address paperwork issues and avoid having the whole thing scrapped.
Florina, who underwent an English exam in Glasgow and had went to Dundee for biometric forms, said: “I’m so discouraged. If I want to complain, there’s nobody to go to. My biometrics, what will happen to them? They throw everything back, take the money and that’s it.”
Hunor, a student ambassador, called the reasons for his rejections “extremely silly”, adding: “I am convinced that since I am a Romanian citizen they are not that happy that I am trying to become a British citizen. I tried my best to assimilate, do my best at school and contribute to the local community.”
He went on: “I didn’t just send them one paper, I sent them a whole forest of stuff – my SQA results, my birth certificate, everything.
“My biggest problem was they should have just explained what was needed. I sent in an application in again, another excuse cropped up.”
On the need for simplified guidance, he said: “The entire country would be better off. I’m not just in it for selfish reasons, other people depend on this also. If my case, which is so simple, ends up so complicated, what can the other poor souls who don’t have such straightforward backgrounds do?”
The family have sought help from local MP Kirstene Hair, who did not respond to a request for comment by The National. However, Hunor described her as “extremely helpful” in taking concerns to the Home Office.
With no British citizenship, Florina fears for the future of 14-year-old Dorothea, known as Doro, after Brexit.
She said: “What will happen to the children who have come here from the EU when they want to apply to university?
“She has huge ambition and she learns well. She was among the top in her school last year.”
On the status of immigrants in the UK, the 48-year-old said: “We should be cherished, and we should cherish – it should be mutual.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Any EEA national wishing to apply for British citizenship must provide evidence of permanent residency to support their application.”
“In order to obtain a document confirming a right of permanent residence, an applicant must show they meet the relevant criteria and provide the required evidence.”
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