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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Soldier wives fear being deported | Soldier wives fear being deported |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Wives of soldiers from Commonwealth countries serving in the British army say they fear they will be deported if their husbands are killed or injured. | Wives of soldiers from Commonwealth countries serving in the British army say they fear they will be deported if their husbands are killed or injured. |
| Immigration campaigners are calling for a change in the law and say spouses are being treated as second class citizens. | Immigration campaigners are calling for a change in the law and say spouses are being treated as second class citizens. |
| Wives of Commonwealth soldiers can currently wait up to seven years before they can apply for a British passport. | |
| The Ministry of Defence and the Home Office say they are currently reviewing those rules. | The Ministry of Defence and the Home Office say they are currently reviewing those rules. |
| The wives of Commonwealth soldiers cannot work, have limited access to benefits and face visa restrictions on travel. | The wives of Commonwealth soldiers cannot work, have limited access to benefits and face visa restrictions on travel. |
| Their calls for more rights come a month after the setting up of a union to campaign for Commonwealth soldiers. | Their calls for more rights come a month after the setting up of a union to campaign for Commonwealth soldiers. |
| 'Complex matter' | 'Complex matter' |
| Sammie Crane, from the Army Families Federation, says spouses should have the same rights as soldiers. | Sammie Crane, from the Army Families Federation, says spouses should have the same rights as soldiers. |
| "Immigration is really a root problem with many of these issues, and that affects families that are in the UK as well as overseas. | "Immigration is really a root problem with many of these issues, and that affects families that are in the UK as well as overseas. |
| "What I really want to see is spouses apply for naturalisation in their own right. It's a very complex matter but I do think it's feasible for something to be done here." | "What I really want to see is spouses apply for naturalisation in their own right. It's a very complex matter but I do think it's feasible for something to be done here." |
| Keith Best, from the Immigration Advisory Service, says Commonwealth soldiers should be able to apply for citizenship once they complete basic training. | Keith Best, from the Immigration Advisory Service, says Commonwealth soldiers should be able to apply for citizenship once they complete basic training. |
| "I think that would be a very strong message not only to act as an incentive for people to serve in our armed forces and put their lives on the line in British interests, but also it would be a way of cementing the relationship, the historic relationship we have with Commonwealth countries." | "I think that would be a very strong message not only to act as an incentive for people to serve in our armed forces and put their lives on the line in British interests, but also it would be a way of cementing the relationship, the historic relationship we have with Commonwealth countries." |