A SCOTTISH plasterer and his American wife who underwent a two-year visa battle with the Home Office – but survived its hostile environment – have planted a rowan tree to mark the setting down of their roots in Scotland.
Tony Duffy, a self-employed plasterer from Edinburgh, and his wife Juli, were a Skype couple until last October when, after pressure from The National, SNP politicians and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), the department relented and issued her with a spousal visa.
The couple have now planted an 8ft rowan sapling at Redbraes Community Garden, in Edinburgh, helped by the JCWI, MPs Deidre Brock and Tommy Sheppard, and Ben Macpherson, Scotland’s Immigration Minister.
She told The National: “As you know, Tony and I were separated for an entire year due to the hostile environment but thanks to your help, we were able to survive the nightmare and we can finally set roots down in our home and grow together as a family, which we believe everyone should have the right to do.
“We planted a Rowan tree, which is traditionally planted outside your home in Scotland to protect it, so it seemed like a fitting tree.
READ MORE: Visa row couple in call to scrap income barrier
“Everyone at the garden was so lovely and it was so nice to plant our roots and solidify that Scotland is my home.”
The 30-year-old couple married in 2017 after they met while she was studying in the UK, but Juli’s visa application was rejected because officials said her self-employed husband did not meet the controversial minimum income requirement (MIR).
One her return, she vowed to campaign for Scottish independence and against the MIR.
“So many Scottish people have joined Tony and I in our fight, it’s only right that I give back to the country that has welcomed and fought for me,” she said.
“We fought and campaigned, and thankfully we are back together now – but the fight doesn’t end here. Why? Because we’re not the only ones. There are thousands of families separated all because of this unfair rule.”
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