Soldier still has hope of obtaining a UK visa for his wife.

October 30 2009 by Liam Clifford

Signs are good as UK soldier is told he can appeal the decision not to grant his Canadian wifes UK visa.

An ex-soldier embroiled in a UK immigration fight has said that he hopes to bring the wife and daughter he left in Canada home with him in the New Year, following a meeting with the Home Office.

The soldier in question, Darren Jarrad, is fighting to be re-united with his 24-year-old wife, Chantel, and their two-year-old daughter, Shyanne, after the visa application was rejected earlier this year.

After a meeting with his MP and a UK immigration official on Monday resulted in new hope of appealing the previous decision.

Jarrad, 28, who has not set eyes on his Canadian family since April this year, said:

“I am more optimistic now - it seemed like everything was going to be alright.

“We are going to spend Christmas in Canada, hopefully she will have the visa and she will come back with me a few days later.”

However the present situation remains uncertain and a number of crucial decisions are yet to be made.

Jarrad, who is a floor restorer, fought in Afghanistan and Iraq before returning to this country and later met his wife in Canada. He said he realised that there was still a very long way to go. Although he added:

“I don't want to get too hopeful. I didn't want to get too hopeful before this meeting, because he wasn't going to say 'here's your visa', and I don't want to get too hopeful now.”

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