This may be a controversial post to some people - I hope not.

[CBM]

If there is one group of people who deserve to stay in this country, it is those who have fought for us.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9417867/Commonwealth-soldiers-face-deportation.html

I think this is a national disgrace.

[lastlid]

And an interesting topic.....

[joebloggs]

I think there is more to this than the Telegraph reports, i think after 5yrs the conviction is spent so he could apply for citizenship then

also he has kids so he could apply to stay here using 'best interest of a child'

finally if he has committed a crime, like anyone on here, then they risk a chance of refusal - cannot have one law for one and one for another..

[CBM]

Maybe so, Joe, but the Torygraph usually gets its military stories right, in my experience, even though it goes well adrift with some other stuff. I was put onto this by two friends, both ex servicemen and both married to Filipinas. It looks like several people are affected, not just the one case.

[joebloggs]

it looks to me they made one major error, as it mentions about citizenship and its ILR they can apply for after 4yrs service not Citizenship :doh

if he was applying for citizenship then he must have ILR so they can't deport him :doh

[CBM]

Good point. The reference must be to ILR.

[Ako Si Jamie]

finally if he has committed a crime, like anyone on here, then they risk a chance of refusal Unless he commits a heinous crime and plays the human rights card. :rolleyes:

[joebloggs]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7638021.stm

from 4yrs ago

[Dedworth]

It seems the Govt is quite happy to let some nasty scumbags remain - See my thread "The Foreign Criminals we don't try to deport "

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/40050-The-foreign-criminals-we-don-t-try-to-deport

[CBM]

I've just been told, by a former RN officer, that there is apparently an EU ruling that prevents the UK offering citizenship to servicemen whilst they are in uniform.

[joebloggs]

I've just been told, by a former RN officer, that there is apparently an EU ruling that prevents the UK offering citizenship to servicemen whilst they are in uniform.

i'm not so sure, Citizenship has nothing to do with the EU, each EU country decides its only citizenship policy. that's why the same rules apply to non EU citizens and non British Europeans living in the UK which is 5yrs residency ( thou married to a British citizen its was only 3yrs).

[joebloggs]

It seems the Govt is quite happy to let some nasty scumbags remain - See my thread "The Foreign Criminals we don't try to deport "

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/40050-The-foreign-criminals-we-don-t-try-to-deport

i agree with you dedworth, they hide behind the human rights act, while the soldier risked his life going where the gov at that time sent him..

[gWaPito]

it looks to me they made one major error, as it mentions about citizenship and its ILR they can apply for after 4yrs service not Citizenship :doh

if he was applying for citizenship then he must have ILR so they can't deport him :doh

I was on the understanding that any visa, ILR or anyother can be revoked at any time hence the need to get your citizenship at the soonest opportunity.

[joebloggs]

I was on the understanding that any visa, ILR or anyother can be revoked at any time hence the need to get your citizenship at the soonest opportunity.

it is possible to revoke ILR if it was obtained fraudulently or for a few other reasons, but its rarely revoked. some people have had ILR for decades.

[gWaPito]

it is possible to revoke ILR if it was obtained fraudulently or for a few other reasons, but its rarely revoked. some people have had ILR for decades.

Thank you for that :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I guess many dont bother with the citizenship because it is after all, an unnecessary expense.

[joebloggs]

Thank you for that :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I guess many dont bother with the citizenship because it is after all, an unnecessary expense.

in fact there was talk a while ago the gov was going to do something about the large number of people who have ILR, ie get them to apply for citizenship. but some countries like Pakistan dont allow dual nationality. so maybe that's why they didn't do anything.

[CBM]

I think there is more to this than the Telegraph reports, i think after 5yrs the conviction is spent so he could apply for citizenship then

also he has kids so he could apply to stay here using 'best interest of a child'

finally if he has committed a crime, like anyone on here, then they risk a chance of refusal - cannot have one law for one and one for another..

having had a bit of time to look at this...

Clearly someone who leaves the Army as a Lance-Corporal after 13 years has not had an utterly unblemished military career and one may hazard a guess that "discipline issues" may be involved - equally one may assume that such a man has been a good soldier otherwise he would have been out.

We don't know when the offence against military discipline was committed, it may have been less than five years ago, but I also have at the back of my mind a dim recollecttion that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to immigration issues.

IF he had spent three years in the UK continually with his British wife and his children he would be entitled to ILR, but can you think of a serving soldier spending three whole years in the UK without a single overseas posting or tour to a war zone?

So on the whole I am sympathetic.