Calling all managers and senior executives – the importance of being a visible LGBTQ ally
Moira Campbell
Appendix FM (the relevant part of the Immigration Rules) defines a partner as:
(i) the applicant’s spouse;
(ii) the applicant’s civil partner;
(iii) the applicant’s fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner; or
(iv) a person who has been living together with the applicant in a relationship akin to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years prior to the date of application.
The UK first recognised same sex partner applications for immigration and visa purposes back in 1997. Initially a discretionary concession would be granted and then, in October 2000, same-sex relationships were formally recognised in the Immigration Rules. Under the current iteration of the Rules the same-sex partners of British citizens or those ‘settled’ in the UK (meaning those with indefinite leave to enter or remain) can apply to come to the UK, or stay in the UK, supposedly on a par with heterosexual couples and on the basis of three types of partnership:
On the face of it this would seem to be a fairly broad and non-discriminatory definition of partner. However it is important to remember that the prior cohabitation is mandatory for a partner who is not married or in a civil partnership to qualify as an unmarried or same-sex partner. It is not enough that you have just been in a relationship for 2 years or even longer, no matter how strong or how enduring that relationship may be.
Across the world members of the LGBTQ+ community are subjected to the criminalisation of their relationships, being targeted for who they are and who they love. There are a jaw dropping 73 jurisdictions around the world that still criminalise private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity. Almost half of these are Commonwealth countries. Of the jurisdictions which criminalise same-sex sexual activity there are 12 in which the death penalty is imposed or at least a possibility for private, consensual same-sex sexual activity and at least 6 of these actively implement the death penalty. Laws that criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people put them beyond the protection of the law, fostering a climate of fear and violence and this climate is mirrored in many other countries where, although not subject to criminalisation, members of the LGBTQ+ community still face constant and consistent homophobic persecution.
There are therefore many countries around the world where members of the LGBTQ+ community will not be able to marry, enter a civil partnership or cohabit without serious fear for their safety and who are therefore effectively barred from coming to the UK as the partner of a British citizen. An oversight of this magnitude seems overwhelmingly unfair, and one would seriously hope that some sort of concession must have built into the Rules to mitigate this.
An attempt has been made by the Home Office to make some form of concession to the fact that these relationship based applications necessarily engage human rights considerations. Those provisions can be found here. Under the section titled ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ the Rules provide for situations where an applicant is unable to meet the requirements of the Rules stating that
the decision-maker must consider, on the basis of the information provided by the applicant, whether there are exceptional circumstances which would render refusal of entry clearance, or leave to enter or remain, a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, because such refusal would result in unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant, their partner, a relevant child or another family member whose Article 8 rights it is evident from that information would be affected by a decision to refuse the application."
This test is a high bar. It is insufficient to demonstrate that one’s circumstances are unusual or difficult. You have to prove that the consequences of a refusal would be disproportionate and not justified by public interest. Unfortunately, the Home Office seems to attribute an unreasonably hefty weight to the public interest aim of maintaining effective immigration control. We frequently see questionable and calculated decisions by the Home Office as part of the ‘hostile environment’ policy (renaming this as the ‘compliant environment’ is laughable - let’s call a hostile spade a spade) whereby reducing immigration is deemed to be the public priority and where minimal attempt is made to substantively engage with the serious issues in play. Whilst any UK immigration application under Appendix FM does necessarily engage human rights considerations, and therefore generates a right of appeal, any such appeal against a refusal of leave to enter the UK will take place outside the UK, meaning that the status quo of separation is maintained until that process is concluded.
Unfortunately it is very difficult to say which cases will succeed in an exceptional circumstances application. Some recent guidance has been provided by the Supreme Court in Agyarko [2017] UKSC 11, in which the court concluded that Appendix FM is compatible with Article 8 of the ECHR and it is up to the Home Office to decide what “exceptional circumstances” and “unjustifiably harsh consequences” mean. Ultimately, it is always a balancing exercise and sadly in the eyes of the Home Office love alone is not enough to overcome the need to maintain effective immigration control. What we can say with certainty however, is that if you know that you do not meet all the requirements then it is wise to include in your application as much evidence as possible of both your relationship and the potential impact of a refusal.
If you are able to convince the Home Office to make a concession in your case or succeed at an appeal, then you are not granted leave to enter on the ‘normal’ spouse route, but will be granted discretionary leave to enter. Not only is this an additional layer of stigma, explicitly labelling your relationship as different from the norm, but the length of time which it takes to settle in the UK indefinitely with you partner is doubled, going from five to ten years. A decade of impermanence. Unless you are later able to switch onto the five year track (something which you should definitely consider trying) then you then have to pay double the amount of the ever increasing Home Office fees, double the amount of the ever increasing healthcare surcharge and double the amount of the ever increasing administrative fees imposed by the Home Office’s commercial partners. When you add everything up the sums are astronomical and, if we’re honest, feels like a direct tax on those relationships which do not fit neatly into the Home Office’s narrow boxes.
The only other option for those who are not married, civil partners or able to demonstrate 2 years of cohabitation, is to apply to come to the UK as a proposed civil partner or fiancé. If this application were successful you would then have 6 months to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK and to then transfer onto the five year partner route from within the UK. However, as part of this application the Home Office expects you to be able to provide extensive evidence of the relationship and your plans to wed. This would include statements of support from friends and family, explicitly confirming their knowledge of and support for your relationship and future plans, evidence of time spent together such as holiday bookings, and photographs of you as a couple. Unfortunately it is highly likely that members of the LGBTQ+ community who live in states where they would face persecution for their relationship would be unable to provide any such documentation and, once again, could be significantly disadvantaged.
It is therefore to be desperately hoped that the Home Office will come to appreciate and give due consideration to the difficulties faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community around the world and will end the ‘hostile environment’ policies that make it so difficult for migrants, even where there are compelling human rights concerns. Fortunately, the message of hope has always been a powerful and enduring one in the LGBTQ+ community.
Elli joined Kingsley Napley in August 2018 as a Legal Assistant in the private client immigration team.
Elli has a wide range of experience in both immigration and nationality matters, including points-based applications, EEA applications and Appendix FM applications. She also has a keen interest in complex immigration matters including Human Rights based applications, cases on appeal and asylum claims.
In the final blog of our Pride 2022 series, we say thank you to everyone who, in their own way, seek to make the world a kinder, better place for the LGBT* community.
Pride 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first official UK Gay Pride March held in London. We are marking each decade from 1972 to 2022 with a blog every week throughout June.
As part of our Pride month blog series, I have reviewed the period 1982 – 1992; the decade in which I was born. In the hope that I can still consider myself to be fairly young, to me, the 1980s do not seem that long ago. In researching the developments made during this decade, however, I was shocked reflecting on how out of touch and discriminatory the law, media and social views still were at the time.
Pride 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first official UK Gay Pride Rally held in London. We are marking each decade from 1972 to 2022 with a blog every week throughout June.
Pride 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first official UK Gay Pride Rally held in London, and we are marking each decade from 1972 to 2022 with a blog each week throughout Pride Month. This weeks blog covers the decade of of 2002-2012.
Pride 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first official UK Gay Pride Rally held in London, and we are marking each decade from 1972 to 2022 with a blog each week throughout Pride Month.
When I became Senior Partner of Kingsley Napley in 2018, I made a very clear pledge to the firm – that I would make it one of my key objectives to increase diverse talent and foster a culture of inclusivity.
The visibility of the “B” in our LGBTQ+ umbrella is marked every year on 23 September. At Kingsley Napley, we are proud to have bisexual members of our LGBTQ+ and Allies Network and strive for everyone to feel like they can be themselves and bring their whole selves to work. Outside KN, and in this year alone, Robin has come out as bisexual in the new Batman comic, more awareness has been raised about bisexuality with celebrities, such as Megan Fox, Lily Cole, speaking out and there is more representation of bisexual people in mainstream shows, such as Sex Education, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Trans adults with full decision-making capacity have the freedom to secure hormonal and surgical interventions to align their bodies with the physical attributes typical of the gender with which they identify (a process known as “transitioning”). However, for those who lack capacity, the involvement of others who are responsible for making decisions on their behalf is required, and the position can be complex as a result. This blog explores the approach to making decisions relating to transitioning on behalf of protected trans people, applying the best interests test and guidance from case law, and discussing the practicalities for decision-makers.
When I told some of my friends I was writing a piece about drag activism, their reaction was almost unanimous…
"Oh, but, is there much to say?"
That's when I realised that drag queens, for many, are more synonymous with big hair and lip-syncing pop hits rather than political consciousness and activism. You can certainly understand the reason for this - we have been totally spoiled in recent years with the explosion of Ru Paul’s Drag Race around the world - the make-up, talents and confidence being a feast for the eyes (and the soul). But we cannot minimise the political importance of Mama Ru’s creation. Who could forget numbers such as “Shady Politics”; the discussions of gay conversion therapy while applying make-up; and Bob the Drag Queen describing his arrest during a 2011 marriage equality protest? Not to mention Nancy Pelosi sashaying into the All Stars season…
Coming out is an extremely personal journey and will be unique to each person. It takes a lot of courage to come out and a person may have to repeatedly do this in their personal and professional lives. Statistics show that 46% of people who identify as lesbian, gay and bisexual and 47% of people who identify as trans feel comfortable to discuss their orientation or gender identity.
How can you put the spotlight on intersectionality to remind others that, even within the LGBTQ+ community, not everyone is treated equal?
Are you proud of who you are, your journey and the person that you’ve become? Do you truly wear your heart on your sleeve? For some, being open and honest about who we are (which includes our gender identity or sexuality) does not come easily and can be extremely hard. It can be even tougher at work, and for those that hide their true self, the energy expenditure is endless. That survival cost of energy makes you less productive, or even worse still, it has a detrimental impact on your mental and physical health.
I am a trans woman who has recently embarked on her transition. Having only taken my first steps on this journey, I am acutely aware when writing this that I have much to learn about myself, about being trans, and about the diverse LGBTQ+ family that I now find myself part of. However, there is one theme that I feel is important to discuss as we celebrate Pride in 2021.
Following on from my colleague Sameena Munir’s blog ‘’pray the gay away: cull conversion therapy worldwide’’, the issue of gay conversion therapy dominates contemporary conversations surrounding LGBT politics and legislation in the UK, but the Government has failed to deliver on its promise to ban it.
For two weeks during Pride month, Kingsley Napley are publishing a series of blogs to celebrate Pride and highlight LGBTQ+ issues from home and abroad.
It’s been 9 years since R&B artist Frank Ocean headed off rumours about his particular pronoun usage in the album Channel Orange by posting on Tumblr that his first love had been a man. Since then, the momentum for the openness and success of queer artists has continued to gather pace, and LGBTQ+ representation in the arts and mainstream media is as wide as it has ever been. This rise has however raised important questions about pigeonholing queer artists, and perhaps most interestingly whether they must always shoulder the responsibility of ‘pushing the agenda’.
In February this year, I attended a virtual talk held by the InterLaw Diversity Forum for LGBT+ History Month. The speakers featured individuals working in the legal sector and each discussed their experience of coming out as trans or non-binary at work. It feels an apt lesson given this year’s Pride theme: Visibility, Unity and Equality.
In January 2020, I was fortunate enough to give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. As far as I know, I am the first partner at Kingsley Napley (although certainly not the first employee) who has a baby who is lucky enough to have two mums. News of my pregnancy was met with overwhelming support from my colleagues. That support continues to this very day, and my wife and I remain truly grateful for the kindness that has been shown to us. However, since falling pregnant I have learnt that not all workplaces are as supportive to same-sex parents as mine. The concept of two mums or two dads starting a family is something that some people still struggle to get their heads around. So this year, for our KN Pride blog series, I have decided to explain the questions, that speaking from my own experience, it is not helpful to say to same-sex parents.
Tomorrow, global organisations across the world are celebrating Global Pride, and I wanted to write to say how much it means to us at Kingsley Napley to celebrate Pride and to support our LGBTQ colleagues.
On sitting down to write this blog, I was a little embarrassed. When you actually take the time to think about drafting legal documents in a way that is gender neutral, it seems to me that the question isn’t why do this, but why not?
In 2012 we formed an LGBTQ* & Allies network at Kingsley Napley (KN). I’m ashamed to say that the impetus to form this network came not from within, but from Scott, a new joiner who upon his arrival was surprised, and critical (rightly so) to find that no such network existed at KN.
By Emily Elliott
READ BLOGTwo thirds of LGBTQ people still being harassed at work: IDAHOBIT is a timely reminder of the work that still needs to be done
Read Stephen Parkinson's blogBy Emily Elliott
Read blogWe welcome views and opinions about the issues raised in this blog. Should you require specific advice in relation to personal circumstances, please use the form on the contact page.
Moira Campbell
Vanessa Rhodes
Sameena Munir
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