Luilana and her mother Yordanos had to wait three years to see each other again (BBC)
The family moved to Birmingham to be with Yordanos' partner Yanos (BBC)
A charity supporting an Eritrean family that waited three years to be reunited has accused the Home Office of "inexcusably long" delays.
Eight-year-old Luilana's visa to get to the UK was initially refused in 2021 but successfully appealed a year later.
She was then, however, forced to flee war, travelling between three countries before meeting her mother again this month in Birmingham.
The Home Office said it understood the importance of reuniting families.
But according to the Refugee and Migrant Centre charity, the family should have been together much sooner. It said that despite satisfying criteria to legally bring a child into the UK, they faced obstacles that could have been avoided.
Luilana's mother, Yordanos, who arrived in the UK in 2020, told the BBC: "Every day she was all I dreamed of, and I worried if she was alive or dead.
"Had I not had Luilana with me now, I would have lived my life divided in two. It really is a blessing that she is here with me."
Their story began in February 2020 after Yordanos secured a spouse visa to leave Eritrea and join partner Yanos in Birmingham.
He came to the UK as an Eritrean refugee in 2012, but to sponsor his partner and child he had to meet a minimum income threshold of £22,400, which he managed by working extra shifts.
The family decided to separate mother and daughter's applications after advice from community leaders in Eritrea.
But the Home Office turned down Luilana's visa and she was left in the care of her aunt in Sudan while her mother moved to Birmingham.
In November 2021, the West Midlands-based Refugee and Migrant Centre began an appeal on the family's behalf and a court overturned the visa decision in August 2022.
However, in April 2023, conflict erupted in Sudan between rival groups[1].
Luilana and her aunt were taken to safety in South Sudan and, weeks later, travelled to neighbouring Uganda to be closer to an immigration centre.
"There were air strikes and Luilana was not well until they reached Uganda," Yordanos said. She was screaming all the time and very traumatised."
They were finally reunited at Heathrow Airport, 15 months after the successful appeal.
Criticising the process that ended with legal challenge, Danai Papachristopoulou, the Refugee and Migrant Centre's immigration manager, said: "It's a family that followed the process, met all the requirements to bring a child legally and safely in the UK and these are the obstacles that people face.
"We have 34 advisors at our centre - all of us have at least one case where delays are extremely and inexcusably long."
Danai Papachristopoulou, from the Refugee and Migrant Centre, said the family should not have faced such long delaysHome Office data showed that in 2021, 626 children from Sudan and Eritrea were granted family reunion visas to enter the UK and 365 in 2022.
"We understand the importance of reuniting families and visas are processed on a case-by-case basis using the information we are provided," a Home Office spokesperson said.
In Birmingham, where it is half term, Luilana is preparing for school.
She is also getting to know her baby sister, Ana, who was born in the UK and whom she had only ever seen on a video link.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to:
Newer articles:
- About 1 mln South Sudanese refugees return home in 5 years: UNHCR - 01/11/2023 05:51
- Security Council Sanctions Committee Concerning South Sudan Receives Briefing on Behalf of Emergency Relief Coordinator in Pursuance of Resolution 2664 (2022) - 01/11/2023 05:06
- South Sudan Needs Sincere, Unconditional Love to “be in peace”: Catholic Bishop - 01/11/2023 05:00
- The International Press Institute (IPI) calls on states to take concrete action to end impunity for crimes against the press - 01/11/2023 04:03
- Resumption of Jeddah Talks by Warring Parties in Sudan - 01/11/2023 02:44
Older news items
- Who stands with Palestine? - 01/11/2023 00:53
- UNICEF hands over 80 motorcycles to strengthen immunization systems in South Sudan - 31/10/2023 08:41
- South Sudan petitions URA over Oraba customs fuel ban - 31/10/2023 07:00
- FVP Machar: South Sudan loses investors due to unregulated land use - 31/10/2023 06:25
- South Sudan’s finance minister against 'illegal' interest rates - 31/10/2023 05:31
Latest news items (all categories):
- Hope for Christmas gift as South Sudan talks return to Nairobi - 05/12/2024 10:26
- Chinese medical team brings relief to South Sudan patients - 05/12/2024 10:18
- Sudanese bishop speaks about being brutalized by soldiers - 05/12/2024 10:08
- President Biden: Absent Principles - No Honoring Words - Broken Promises - 05/12/2024 09:55
- South Sudan’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Continues – Analysis - 01/12/2024 17:47
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan: Kiir Forms Committee to Hold Talks With Sudan Over Abyei Border Dispute - 26/05/2021 01:47
- Indian UN peacekeepers rescue workers in South Sudan - 15/07/2017 02:54
- South Sudan - WASH Coordinator - Juba - 27/05/2013 09:16
- South Sudan leader pledges more investment in healthcare - 02/10/2017 09:23
- US denounces Sudanese air strikes in South Sudan - 01/03/2012 17:51
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 58638 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22221 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21370 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18901 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18050 times