A father has stated that he feels “abandoned” by UK authorities in his effort to bring his newborn baby back to the UK after it was born through surrogacy in Cyprus, the BBC reported.
Raj Gill from Grays, Essex, travelled to Cyprus two days before his son on 29 January.
He is currently awaiting the issuance of his child’s British passport while his temporary visa for Cyprus is set to expire on 26 April.
The Home Office has stated that passports are not issued until all verifications are “satisfactorily completed”.
The 49-year-old told the BBC that he completed the necessary paperwork for his son soon after his birth, but claimed that “nobody has looked at my application since 12 February”.
He expressed his urgent need to return the 11-week-old to the UK for vaccinations.
“Unfortunately, as there is no one else to look after [my son], I have no choice but to remain in Cyprus despite knowing that I will be classed as an overstayer from 26 April.”
Remaining in Cyprus past the visa expiry could result in Gill facing fines, legal action, or imprisonment.
He further questioned, “If that happens then what happens to my children?”
Gill, who has been a teacher at Lee Chapel Primary School in Basildon for 18 years, turned to surrogacy after failing to find a partner.
“Being a primary school teacher myself, I love my children and I thought I wanted some of my own,” he explained.
The Home Office declined to comment on individual passport cases but noted that additional checks are typically required to confirm a child’s nationality before an emergency travel document is issued.
