Spanish Woman Denied UK Entry After Spending Christmas In Malaga

A Spanish woman recently faced a distressing situation when she was expelled from the United Kingdom, illustrating the bureaucratic nightmare following Brexit.

On December 26, the unnamed woman experienced a harrowing ordeal at Luton Airport. She was detained overnight before being forced to return to Spain, despite having proof of her right to live and work in the UK.

Airport Ordeal

‘I went home because my sister had a baby and literally four days later at Luton airport they took me to the holding room, took my things and my phone and told me to wait there. I was left there all night and then put on a plane,’ she recounted.

The 34-year-old woman, who resided with her husband and in-laws in Bedfordshire, was transitioning careers towards veterinary nursing.

Dreams Derailed

‘I was supposed to go back to work, but now my life has vanished. All my things are in the UK: my dog, my car. I was doing veterinary nursing training, which was my dream. If I try to go back, it will be even worse,’ she lamented.

The woman had applied for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in the UK, which allows EU citizens residency rights. Her initial application was denied in June due to insufficient evidence, but she had filed for an administrative review and possessed a certificate of application (CoA) from the British Home Office.

Bureaucratic Tangle

The border official, whom she had encountered previously, dismissed her documentation. ‘She told me that I was “wasting my time” and that it was “not true” that I could work, and I said, “Well, there must be a glitch in the system because my papers say I can do that  and now you are telling me what the Home Office says is not true.”‘

Her intermittent relationship with the UK began in 2014, and she had returned after a period in South Africa. Reportedly, late applications are permitted under certain Brexit agreement conditions.

Currently, the woman is seeking legal advice as she contends that her certificate entitles her to work in the UK while her appeal is under review.

‘I could have told them that I was a tourist, but I am not, I have nothing to hide and I told them so. I am waiting for the appeal decision and, therefore, I continue working,’ she concluded.