A 66-year-old grandmother from Kerala, who came to the UK to look after her grandchildren following the death of their mother has garnered public support
LONDON: A 66-year-old grandmother from Kerala, who came to the UK to look after her grandchildren following the death of their mother, has garnered public support for her request for a permanent residency here.
A campaign has been launched by a British daily asking the Home Office to allow her to continue stay in the UK and legal experts offered free service to her in the case.
The touching 'Let Her Stay' campaign was started after Mary Joseph's daughter-in-law, Shini Jose, 39, died in a road accident in June last year. She was hit by a lorry while shopping with her children, Joel Jose, 8, and Jiya Jose, 4.
Over 1,000 people have signed the petition supported by the Portsmouth-based daily, The News. It said the supporters have come forward "in their droves to add their voice to demands to allow Mary Joseph to remain in the UK".
Joseph faces being returned to India after coming to the UK to help care for the two grandchildren. Her case is scheduled to come up at an immigration tribunal shortly.
The campaign has now been joined by an immigration lawyer, a law graduate and a barrister. The lawyer, who has not been named by the newspaper, has given Joseph advice free of charge.
Barrister Ravinder Bagral from Warwick House Chambers in London has agreed to represent Joseph at the hearing for free.
University of Portsmouth law graduate Miriam Havergal, 20, has volunteered to help the family prepare paperwork ahead of the hearing in Feltham, Middlesex.
The late Shini Jose's husband, Jose Joseph, 47, said: "I'm very happy that the lawyer helped us fill in the forms and send them off. I'm very pleased the lawyer was able to give us advice.
"I am very grateful for all the support that we've been given by people in the area and by The News. People were asking me how the Home Office could make its decision. Everybody knew what had happened to my wife.
Joseph came to Portsmouth in September 2007 to look after her grandchildren when her son Jose Joseph and the children returned from Shini Jose's funeral in Kerala.
Joseph holds a multi-visitor visa which means she can visit the UK for periods of up to six months until August 2009 but has to fly home to India and return to the UK every six months to remain with her grandchildren until August 2009.
After that time she would have to apply for another visa. The campaign seeks to urge the Home Office to allow her to stay permanently to look after the grandchildren.
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