Home Office rejects Palestinian Jerusalemite woman's UK visa but approves husband's

The UK Home Office has refused a visa for a Palestinian woman from Jerusalem, ruling she is not a "genuine visitor", while approving the application of her husband of 40 years.

Karim Abdallah, who has lived in London since 2019, was planning to host his parents, Therese Abdallah, 69, a retired English teacher, and Ghassan Abdallah, a psychologist, for a few weeks. Both parents had previously visited the UK for academic trips without any visa issues.

In a rejection letter, a Home Office official stated they were not satisfied that Therese would leave the UK at the end of her visit. The decision was made more surprising by the fact that her husband, who applied through the same process, had his visa approved.

Palestinian Jerusalemites have a unique status: they are not Israeli citizens but hold Israeli and Jordanian travel documents. Because Therese needed separate visas for trips to London and to a family wedding in Ireland, she made one application with her Israeli document and another with her Jordanian document.

According to Karim, Therese had a UK visa refused in 2019 due to a technical issue with submitting her bank statement in Hebrew. In the latest refusal, the Home Office noted: "I note that your UK ties outweigh your home country ties." The official was not confident she would return home. Therese was told she had no right to an appeal or administrative review.

Therese has only one immediate family member in the UK: her son. Her other son, an oncologist, lives in East Jerusalem with his wife and children, along with extended family and her community.

Karim said: "Both my parents applied for their UK visitor visa using the same invitation from my partner and me. We provided the same evidence. I have lived legally in the UK for eight years, work and pay taxes." He added: "The Home Office has ruined our summer holiday plans."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases. All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits and the evidence provided."