Hello everyone!!

Firstly, I wish and pray for good health of all. 

I am initiating this petition to bring my elderly mother to the UK which is now my place of residence from India. I seek support from everyone one who values family and happiness of all human beings. 

My name is Nittin. I moved to the United Kingdom in 2008 and since then have struggled to make my way up and fit my self in this difficult economy but a beautiful country.  I left behind my Mother who is now 65 years old. I was away from her for last 11 years, while I was busy making my career she was all alone. I worked very hard and made vital, valuable contributions as a tax payer. 

We are a family of three, My sister left India in 2012 just like me for better career prospects to the USA and now settled there happily. 

My parents separated when I was a child. It was extremely difficult for my mother to raise two children by herself but as they say anything can be accomplished by a mother for her children. She succeeded,  She gave all her life and made life tempting sacrifices to raise both of us. She worked 18 hours a day to make sure she earns and looks after the house while we both watched her harsh routine when growing up.

My mother worked for the Indian railways. She will get up every morning at 4:00 AM, cook food for us and dress up both her children for school and the drop us both at the bus stand while she stayed hungry and was the last one to get ready for work. There were times when she was late and faced the heat in the office. She use to take public transportation and cover a journey of more than an hour.

She had to come after work and again cook and feed both her children . This was the 90s and we belonged to lower middle class, We did not had washing machines and other advanced appliances to get the household chores done. As children we could do very little and watched our mother tirelessly working to run the house and look after us. 

She literally worked like a machine. Even the machines gets rest I would say, she did not stopped. She never had a decent sleep and put her health at risk.

My father had no contact with us. He did not provided any type of support. I remember as a child I was a tough kid to handle and had several accidents,  My sister was of weak health. She had many times got infected with jaundice and that required hospitalisation,Time and money. Our father was no where to be seen. Our mother was there and looking after us.

My mother was fighting all these battles by her self. It was tiring for her. She had immense weight of responsibilities and mountain of pressure with no support. she was alone. At times I use to see her crying when she was exhausted. she had very limited income from which she had to pay the house rent, bills, school fees, medical expenses, transportation cost etc. 

While she fulfilled all our wishes to buy good clothes, food and toys. she could not buy anything good for herself. she hardly had any good clothes or anything she wanted to posses. she lived her life in mere simplicity.

With all this she also had to manage her own health. So that she can look after her children. She never gave up.

Her hard work and dedication paid as we both grew up. I left home in pursuit of better career to the United Kingdom. I got married in 2014 and had my son born in 2017. I will be soon joining my new role as a Police officer.

My mother made visits to see us. My dream is now that we all live together. My mother loves his grandson and she always wants to meet her. 

I always wanted to bring my mother to live with me in the United Kingdom so that can look after her and she is happy too being with her family but I have faced the harsh immigration in the UK and with lots of difficulties and struggle made it through. It costed me an arm and a leg but before all that is the time I lived away from my mother. 

My mother is 65 and she developed Hypertension five years ago. This made me worried and I became more desperate  to bring her to join me. however, I needed to get through with my own immigration which I did in 2018. This was a difficult time as I was informed that my mother has also developed Coronary heart disease and I could not travel as my application was pending with Home office. Though, my mother was on medication she also had to undergo angiogram.I wanted to be with her but Home office wouldn't allow while my application was in process. This was indeed a very difficult time for me and caused me a lot of stress. I went under influence of alcohol and also and fights with my spouse. I just wanted to withdraw my application and leave to join my mother but my last ten years were at stake. This all was destroying my family life .

Again my mother told me not to worry as she will get all the medical procedure by herself and there is no need for me. She was again risking her life for her children.I obeyed her and this paid off. Her angiogram was successful and I won my battle with Home Office. I visited India shortly and met my mother where I cried uncontrollably.

I have brought a house and my son has now started going to school. While things have fallen in place for me. I want to bring my mother to the UK now so that she can live with her family and grandson whom she adores. Also with her current medical conditions I do need to give her the best care which I can do it by bringing her to the UK.

 

Shockingly, The immigration rules to bring your parents to the United Kingdom are the most strict ones. This is because  an aged person will act as a burden on the NHS. Not only its appalling but inhumane criteria. The Home Office sets the criteria that only parents who have less or no mobility due to medical conditions or no care available in home country are eligible. This criteria stops the elderly healthy parents or with limited medical issues to join their families and puts them under more mental stress which in the long run affects their health and no family is complete with our their elderly. Any person regardless of their age can have health issues in general.

Currently the only Visa which allows your parents to visit you but not live is Family Visitor. Before every six months your parents must leave the UK and cannot be residing for longer. This makes it very difficult as its not feasible for elderly  with medical conditions to travel. They also have to shell out the visa and travel costs. This is unacceptable and pure injustice to parents who want to spend more time or live with their children and  grand children.

The essence immigration should be to unite blood families and not to make things difficult for them. I find Thousands of successful and well settled immigrants in the same situation from different nationalities.This has devastated and destroyed families and their inner peace until they stay away from each other.

Yes, the UK has to protect its border and bring in tougher controls.We as immigrants also acknowledge that immigration is centred to bring economic and cultural prosperity to the country but its should not at the cost of its moral grounds. 

Thousands of British residents have lost families in their struggle to bring them to the UK. Only 1 percent have succeeded. These are shameful Figures. Every British immigrant has the right to bring their parents to join them.

 

I simply ask this question. How will the people of the United Kingdom feel if they are to become immigrants in a different country and same rules are imposed on them. When I spoke to native British people about this. Not only they found this criteria inhumane but also against the British Values and culture which is embraces everyone. To some it was still a case of discrimination.

 

I strongly believe that it is my right as a British resident to bring my Mother to join her family. It is my right to look after her and her health. She is inseparable part of our family and not only she deserves but its her Human right as well to be with her family and live a happy and healthy life with her children. There are thousands  British Citizens(Naturalised)in the same situation like me in UK who too want to bring their parents. Majority of them have lost battles in court spending millions.

I totally understand that the government has to act in the interest of its most valuable organisation NHS and any treatment is from the pocket of the Taxpayer. I propose reasonable  NHS surcharge on such applications to cover the medical costs.

I call upon the government and the Home office to allow parents of British residents to obtain permanent residency in the Uk enabling them to join their families. 

 

This will have a positive and long lasting affect of the immigrants. They will not only believe more in the British Values but the UK will attract just the right kind of immigration it needs of families who only want live as responsible and loyal citizens making vital contributions to the UK and making it proud.

This will also set an example to many who lack this moral responsibility for not caring for their parents. we see today large number of elderly  people who are neglected and not being cared by their children. This will certainly bring a positive change and may lead to initiate the culture of looking after parents reducing the burden on care homes and saving the public funding.

 

 

Please join and support this petition to make it a success. God Bless all.