Distraught dad can’t bring daughter to UK because rules state he is ‘too poor’

A devastated man has told how he fears his daughter might forget who he is because immigration rules state he's too poor to bring her to the UK.

Conrad Evans, a DJ of Llanelli, Wales, met his wife Dragana, 22 when he travelled to Serbia for a music festival.

The pair travelled back and fourth between Serbia and Wales for 18 months to see each other before getting hitched.

Now, Conrad, 23, wants to bring his wife and 4-month-old child to the UK on a spousal visa, but he doesn't have the cash to get one Wales Online reports .

Rules states that the UK citizen must earn at least £18,600, pay a further £3,800 if they have a dependent child and pay £3,000 visa fees.

A frustrated Conrad said: “I can’t even explain how hard it’s been, every time I have to leave them it kills me a little. I’ve just come back from visiting them and it took my daughter a couple of days before she even recognised my voice, It’s terrifying to think that she might forget me.

“I don’t even qualify to try and apply for a spousal visa, it just feels like a class thing that we can’t even apply because we don’t have enough money. If I was rich they could come over straight away but it’s one rule if you are wealthy and another if you are working class."

The pair have been living apart since they got married in February this year.

Conrad feels that moving to Serbia, which is around 1,500 miles away, to be with his family would be a bad option.

He said: “Moving to Serbia isn’t really much of an option because there’s no work for me out there and the standard of living is really poor. People’s wages are only around £7/£8 a day. I just wish they could both come over here and we could all start our future together."

Visa legislation states if Conrad was an EU or EEA citizen then he would be able to apply for an EEA family permit or an EU settlement scheme family permit, both of which are free.

Conrad said: “It just seems a little bit backwards that I have lived in the UK all my life and I fell in love and can’t bring my new family over here. I never imagined that it would be as difficult as it is and flying back to Serbia when I can is costing me a fortune.”

In a bid to raise cash to bring his family to him, Conrad has set up a GoFundMe page .

“I’m determined to make the figure required to get them here one way or another", Conrad said.

"But the whole situation is affecting my mental health, although I know that once my little family is here it’ll make all the hard work worth it.

"I just hope that next Christmas I’ll be able to spend it with my family.”

The Home Office confirmed to Mirror Online that the minimum income requirement was set following advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.

It also confirmed the Free Movement Directive did not apply to EU nationals residing in their own country.

This means that British citizens are required to sponsor family members to come to or remain in the UK under the UK Immigration Rules.

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