Praise the day when we may once again enjoy pure sporting stories about contests, uncontaminated by corruption, bureaucracy and the rise and fall of powerful and power-hungry individuals. No drug scandals, no politicians pulling fast ones. We can but dream. It’s clearly the season for depressing stories of foul play and injustice in sport, so let me offer you another.

The following is perhaps one to add to the list: a head-scratchingly unfair case. Cassie Thomas is a former world No1 squash player from Norfolk in England. She has lived in Australia for the past five years with her Australian husband, Matt, and their two daughters, Erin and Lola, who were both born in Norfolk. The family recently decided to move back to Norfolk. Both of Cassie’s parents, Pat and Mick, have been recovering from cancer recently, and so you can only imagine what this move might have meant for them.

When Matt applied for a visa to come back with his family the UK Border Agency denied him access to live here. They said that Matt had moved back to Australia “through personal choice”, which apparently did not work in his favour, and that the family had been in Australia for too long.

Had they returned within two years of leaving, Matt would have obtained his visa without contention. Matt had a job lined up with a a civil engineering firm in Norfolk, where the couple own a property. Cassie had lived in the UK her whole life before 2010; Erin and Lola were born there. They are hardly the dreaded benefit cheats moving to the UK to exploit the system; they have family, property and employment here. Inconceivably though, the decision stands.

The family could get around the problem by proving that they have £62,500 of cash savings, but they do not possess that kind of money. Alternatively Cassie would have to fly over to the UK, work there and prove that she could earn £18,600 a year, and then Matt could follow some time at least six months later. Naturally, breaking up the family was not entertained as an idea, so they are out of options. An immigration lawyer has advised them that an appeal would be lengthy, costly and unlikely to succeed.

Local MPs have been written to and petitions have been signed, but little is being done. When asked to explain the rule, a Home Office spokesperson said “the refusal letter sets out the reasons for refusal” and when contacted again for this article they said: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.”

Cassie is one of England’s most capped and successful squash players ever. She represented the country at the Commonwealth Games, an event which curiously includes Australia, was British champion six times and became a world champion in 1999. She stood as a towering figure within her sport and within her home county of Norfolk, where she is still revered as one of their great athletes ever. She received an MBE for her services, which in view of this hodgepodge of a situation looks to have been no great help.



Of course, none of this sporting prowess should matter; this case is not about what anybody has won or achieved, but it is startling to think that she supported and represented her country, inspired many fans and players, and had two children in the UK but is now being shunned so emphatically. Why should anyone in her position be forced to have to override the rules with money?

The whole topic of immigration is sensitive and clearly pressure is on our government to keep restrictions in place, but there are no grounds for this unfathomable decision. The squash fraternity have rallied to support Cassie and her family and the general feeling is one of complete exasperation. For now the Thomas family are in limbo, in a stalemate, in Australia. Let’s hope somebody somewhere comes to their senses, wades through some serious red tape and does the right thing.

• This is an article from James Willstrop’s blog

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