‘I served with the British Army for six years, lived here a decade and married a British woman – now the Home Office says go home’ Trevor Rene, 49, says his ongoing visa battle is ‘ruining’ his life and breaching his and his wife’s human rights

Trevor Rene arrived in Britain 10 years ago, and having been born in a British territory, he is now fighting to stay with his British wife in the UK.

‘They took the view I wasn’t properly in the British Army because I’m in the Reserve. It’s like saying someone who works in a Tesco Express doesn’t work for Tesco’ Trevor Rene

He initially came to visit family here. His grandfather settled in the UK in 1948 – one of thousands of people who came over from the Caribbean, known as the Windrush generation.

Then he got a job serving on Her Majesty’s behalf in the British Army and fell in love and married Diane, a clerk who works for the NHS.

He worked as a mechanical engineer in the Reserves – fixing vehicles including tanks and SUVs – for six years.

Now the 49-year-old faces deportation to Dominica and leaving behind the life he’s built here.

“I could understand me being deemed an illegal if I had arrived in Britain on the back of a lorry but I didn’t,” he told i. “I was born a British citizen. I arrived in Gatwick and then the British Army gave me a job. They will use me for my service to this country but then toss me away. It’s a scandal.”

Welcomed into the Army – but faced a visa battle

Mr Rene, who lives in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, remembers having a blue British passport until Dominica – where his parents were born – gained its independence from Great Britain and became an independent republic and Commonwealth member in 1978.

He came to the UK in 2008 to visit his great aunt, uncle and cousins on a six-month tourist visa. During that period he joined the Army after completing three months of training.

“I was 38 then and told I was a little too old for the Army, so they took me on in the Reserves. So I’ve been part-time – I was delivering parcels self-employed the rest of the time – but I was working in the Reserves most weekends and serving abroad for several weeks at a time quite frequently.”

He first realised there was a problem with his immigration status when he applied to get a passport when his tourist visa ran out but was refused.

“It was horrendous and terrifying. Worse than prison, because at least then you know when you will be released” Trevor Rene The i newsletter latest news and analysis Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

“My commanding officer sent the Home Office a letter to support my application,” he said. “But they took the view I wasn’t properly in the British Army because I’m in the Reserve. It’s like saying someone who works in a Tesco Express doesn’t work for Tesco.”

Mr Rene hoped the matter would eventually be resolved – as the Army were happy to carry on employing him – and within a year he met Diane, who has two children, and moved in with her.

“We’ve been on holiday and I’ve been let back into the country,” he said. “But I’ve always had this hanging over my head.”

‘Horrendous’ detention centre

Then in 2014, the Army told him they could no longer keep him on because his documentation wasn’t in order.

Mr Rene hired a lawyer to take on his fight. “The first tribunal judge said that the Home Office should have taken into account my time served in the Army but turned me down.

“I had a chance to take it to the Court of Appeal but my solicitor lodged the documents too late.”

In 2015, he was ordered to report to a police station every month and in 2016 he was kept in a detention centre in Oxfordshire for 10 days.

“It was horrendous and terrifying,” he said. “Worse than prison, because at least then you know when you will be released. I heard the guards coming in the night to take people to put them on a plane and I couldn’t sleep knowing I could be deported at any moment.”

Mr Rene was released and his legal battle continued – but as a result he’s been unable to work for the last four years.

He and Diane wed last year, but their application for Mr Rene to remain on a spousal visa was denied.

“They said she didn’t earn enough, but now she does earn over the £18,600 threshold for her to sponsor me. She earns £19,000, plus with a private pension it’s around £22,000. We have sent payslips and our marriage certificate but they have still rejected my visa.”

‘Breach of human rights’

Mr Rene says the stress of the legal wrangle has taken a toll on both him and his wife.

“It’s been very tight relying on Diane’s wage alone. She has two sons, bills to pay, two cats to feed. I’m keen to work and give something to society.

“I was born a British citizen. I’ve served for the Queen. My wife has a right to family life and she shouldn’t have to leave her country and go to Dominica where she has never even visited and doesn’t know anyone.

“She has her two grown-up sons here, and may one day have grandchildren here. She has her home and a secure job and I would have if they let me. The Home Office is ruining my life, it’s a breach of human rights.

“You only have to look at the Windrush scandal. There are lots of people being treated the same way.”

Mr Rene has set up a GoFundMe appeal to help fund his law fees. To donate, click here.

A Home Office spokesperson said Mr Rene’s permission to stay in the UK expired in November 2008, and has had a number of immigration applications turned down for reasons such as failure to pay the fee and his status as an overstayer.

He added: “He has recently exercised a right of appeal where his claim to a family life was dismissed by an independent Immigration Judge. His appeal rights against that decision are exhausted. When someone has no leave to remain in the UK, we expect them to leave the country voluntarily. Where they do not, we will seek to enforce their departure.”

This article was amended on 4 December to remove a photo of Trevor’s military ID