Harry The Hawk

Update May 2025
At the moment we are fighting a big war  - To be allowed to stay in Norway

 

Our dream was to live peacefully here—but Brexit put our plans on hold. Then came the pandemic. When we finally bought a house in Norway and applied for family reunification, I had a job that met the income requirement, and he received a residence card.

 

We thought everything was on track. So, we sold our home in England. It was expensive to maintain two households, and UDI expects applicants to spend as much time in Norway as possible. That, in reality, means abandoning everything you have in your home country.

 

In a phone call with UDI after Chris got his permit in August 2023, we explained that we had a c/o address at my daughter’s house because our mailbox is exposed. But we also gave our actual residential address. I was told I should register a move to Norway—but that it wasn’t mandatory, just practical. Out of caution, due to tax implications and my previous residence in the UK, we waited until January 2024, after receiving advice from a financial consultant.

 

We then notified the Tax Administration, I filed a move notification, and requested a tax card to declare my income from abroad. It took over four months to get approval. In the meantime, I informed them via email about my concerns and later finally got the move backdated to January 1st.

 

We submitted all required documentation to UDI, but when they asked for income verification, we ran into problems. According to the Tax Administration, it was the wrong time of year to document it formally. I sent screenshots and even a copy of the chat where I was told this—but UDI rejected it. They would not accept anything except exact registration in the format they demanded, even though we provided everything else—including payslips.

 

Then in August 2024, his residence card expired. We had applied for renewal nearly four months earlier.

 

On November 26th, just as we were about to go Christmas shopping, an accident forced us to stay home. Chris decided to call UDI and ask why it was taking so long. They casually told him that a letter had been sent on November 6th—along with an email. We had received neither. They promised to send a new email within the hour.

 

That email arrived—with a rejection and a notice to leave the country by December 4th. We had just one day left to appeal.

 

It was brutal. I was devastated, had to see my doctor and be prescribed medication just to cope. We were in shock. We had no home in the UK anymore, no place to go.

 

Luckily, my niece knew a lawyer, and we managed to get an appeal in just in time. But why is it legal to send such vital decisions without ensuring receipt? Had we not been home that day, the police could’ve been at our door without warning—and Chris would have been deported and barred from Norway for years.

 

The lawyer believed we had a strong case. My income was proven, yet because it wasn’t registered in the exact way UDI demanded, the appeal was denied. Payslips and supporting documents meant nothing.

 

They accused us of not living together because of the c/o address. They ignored corrections we made in the appeal. They claimed Chris didn’t have strong enough ties to Norway—even though we are married, own a home and car, are financially stable, and sold our life in England to move here. He even has his own income.

 

None of the minor issues they pointed to justify destroying our life.

 

Why dig into the past year, where we have clearly proven our stability and compliance, instead of allowing us to fix misunderstandings before making such a devastating decision?

 

The case is now with UNE (the Immigration Appeals Board), and I’m a nervous wreck. Everything I’ve read suggests they rarely overturn UDI decisions.

 

Why is it acceptable to deport a married couple in their 60s who have a home, possessions, family, and a future here? Chris is not a burden to the system—far from it. Meanwhile, thousands of others are welcomed and supported with housing and benefits. Don’t we deserve a fair chance too?

 

This is especially cruel given our circumstances: My daughter’s partner was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January. They have a baby and need our support more than ever. But because my daughter is over 30 and the child isn’t “ours,” UDI dismissed it as irrelevant.

 

I have five children, five grandchildren, and an elderly mother in Northern Norway. We try to visit her often, but we live near Egersund. If we’re deported or put on time-limited permits, visiting will be nearly impossible. My children can’t travel to England frequently either. Housing there is scarce and prohibitively expensive. The money from our house sale was meant for retirement—not to start over again.

 

We had built a secure life and looked forward to finally living our dream. And now, it’s being ripped away.

 

We’ve since submitted complete tax documents, but the waiting is destroying us. Every notification on his phone triggers anxiety: what if it’s bad news?

 

It’s beyond comprehension how this is even legal. Living in constant uncertainty has caused severe stress, insomnia, and serious health issues. We can’t plan for tomorrow or live a normal life. This kind of psychological pressure should not be allowed.

 

Even worse—because of the residence situation, we can’t leave Norway. If we do, he may not be allowed back in. He can’t even visit his own family. It’s inhumane.

 

To make things more absurd: I’m 50% disabled. UDI falsely claims I work full-time. We’ve informed them that’s not true. I assist my husband and get paid accordingly—and I’ve confirmed with NAV how much I’m allowed to earn on the side.

 

Yet we feel treated like criminals. In fact, I think criminals might get better treatment and more rights than we do.

 

What logic is there in demanding the Norwegian sponsor earn nearly 400,000 NOK a year when the applicant has no income? Yet Chris, who does have income and can support us both, is denied? He’s from the UK—our neighbour, with no issues integrating. Shouldn’t that count?

 

This whole situation is absurd.

 

We’re being forced through a nightmare that worsens every day. And yet, this month alone, we’re paying around 180,000 NOK in taxes—to a state that claims we can’t support ourselves.

 

We’ve been treated disgracefully. There was no valid reason for UDI’s rejection. Their letter was incoherent, unprofessional, and dehumanizing. The appeal response was the same—vague, harsh, and cruel.

 

Now we wait again. It’s slow torture. And strangely, all email updates from UNE still come from UDI’s address.

Hi from Chris & Ann
 
We live in the UK and our main hobbies are wildlife 
photography and music
 
As you have no doubt noticed our favoured photographic subject are birds. Dynamic, constantly surprising and often extremely beautiful, you never can be quite sure what images you will come back with when you take your camera out.
 
In our 'music video' section we have combined our interest, creating a selection of original video's that hopefully you will find fun to watch.
 
Its also worth mentioning the subject matter of the music video's is quite varied
 
So please explore our website, remembering we are not professional photographers or musicians
 
Just a couple of ordinary people having fun