Monthly Archives: February 2018
Is Mnangagwa’s New Government paving the way for UK mass removals of failed Zimbabwean Asylum Claimants ?
Three months. That is the amount of time the UK Government gave undocumented Zimbabweans before broaching the subject of enforcing their return following Mugabe’s ouster on 21 November 2017. Time to come down from the lingering false high induced by Mugabe’ s departure, back to a crashing reality and forlorn acceptance that, “Hapana zvambochinja muZimbabwe”, ie nothing much has changed in Zimbabwe.
Apparently, it has been reported by various Zimbabwean media outlets on 13 February 2018, that one of Zimbabwe’s Vice Presidents, Kembo Mohadi met with the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ms Catriona Lang in Harare. An interesting array of subjects came up for discussion, however the one that has made the headlines is an announcement by the British Government of its intention to repatriate some 2500 undocumented Zimbabweans residing in the UK. It has been reported that the Vice President told journalists after the meeting that, “ Zimbabwean has no problems receiving its nationals back but would want them vetted to ensure they are genuine Zimbabweans before taking them back”.
What usually proves problematic for non EEA family members seeking to assert their rights following divorce and upon application, is that having regard to the EEA Regulations and current accompanying Home Office Guidance, in addition to other evidence, they will be required to provide documentation relating to the EEA National Sponsors’ identity and nationality as well as evidence that the EEA national was exercising free movement rights at the time that the parties divorced. An affected applicant’s inability to provide the EEA national’s valid passport or nationality identity card or evidence of the EEA national’s employment at the relevant date of divorce might result in a refusal of that application.