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52-year-old Singaporean deported despite decades-long fight to stay with British husband
The 52-year-old Singaporean married to a British man has been deported to Singapore after fighting against the move for more than 20 years.
Grandmother Irene Clennell told BBC in a report on Monday (Feb 27) that she was put in a van and taken to the airport on Saturday (Feb 25), and is now in Singapore.
Mrs Clennell, who has two sons and a granddaughter in Britain with her British husband of 27 years, had been held in a Scottish detention centre for apparently flouting immigration rules.
A Home Office spokesman told BBC: "All applications for leave to remain in the UK are considered on their individual merits and in line with the immigration rules. We expect those with no legal right to remain in the country to leave."
Mrs Clennell was detained on Jan 20, after a routine appointment at an immigration reporting centre in Middlesbrough, and has been held at the Dungavel Detention Centre in South Lanarkshire since the start of February.
Mrs Clennell had previously told The Straits Times that she had sought legal aid to fight her case. Her husband's sister also started a fund-raising page for her legal fees.
She has fought to remain by her British husband's side for more than 20 years.
In 1990, she was granted an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) - which allows a person to stay in Britain without time restrictions and is typically given to foreign spouses of British citizens.
In 1992, she moved back to Singapore with her husband and this caused her ILR to lapse as a clause in it says she cannot live outside Britain for more than two years.
She stayed in Singapore as her mother was sick, until 1999 when her mother died. Her husband and their sons returned to Britain in 1998.
She made numerous applications for another ILR but was rejected each time.
Her plight has been highlighted by British non-governmental organisation Migrant Voices, and a campaign is being started to bring her back to Britain, BBC said.
The 52-year-old Singaporean married to a British man has been deported to Singapore after fighting against the move for more than 20 years.
Grandmother Irene Clennell told BBC in a report on Monday (Feb 27) that she was put in a van and taken to the airport on Saturday (Feb 25), and is now in Singapore.
Mrs Clennell, who has two sons and a granddaughter in Britain with her British husband of 27 years, had been held in a Scottish detention centre for apparently flouting immigration rules.
A Home Office spokesman told BBC: "All applications for leave to remain in the UK are considered on their individual merits and in line with the immigration rules. We expect those with no legal right to remain in the country to leave."
Mrs Clennell was detained on Jan 20, after a routine appointment at an immigration reporting centre in Middlesbrough, and has been held at the Dungavel Detention Centre in South Lanarkshire since the start of February.
Mrs Clennell had previously told The Straits Times that she had sought legal aid to fight her case. Her husband's sister also started a fund-raising page for her legal fees.
She has fought to remain by her British husband's side for more than 20 years.
In 1990, she was granted an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) - which allows a person to stay in Britain without time restrictions and is typically given to foreign spouses of British citizens.
In 1992, she moved back to Singapore with her husband and this caused her ILR to lapse as a clause in it says she cannot live outside Britain for more than two years.
She stayed in Singapore as her mother was sick, until 1999 when her mother died. Her husband and their sons returned to Britain in 1998.
She made numerous applications for another ILR but was rejected each time.
Her plight has been highlighted by British non-governmental organisation Migrant Voices, and a campaign is being started to bring her back to Britain, BBC said.
