A barber from Edinburgh was refused a certificate of travel to visit his dying mother by the Home Office because of a hair clippings fine, it has been reported.
Asam Al-Abodi fled Iraq in 2001 after his brother disappeared while handing out leaflets criticising Saddam Hussein.
Upon leaving the Middle East he moved to Europe and ultimately settled in Scotland, where he set up a barber shop, got married and had three children.
Last year he heard the news that his mother had fallen extremely ill and wanted to fly to Turkey with his family to see her.
The 43-year-old applied for a certificate of travel in July 2018 but having not received a decision for three months then submitted a “priority” application, which are usually dealt with in two days.
Two months later Mr Al-Abodi was informed his application had been refused after it was claimed he had not paid a £200 fine relating to failure to discard hair clippings in his barber shop properly, according to the Edinburgh Evening News.
Mr Al-Abodi claims he paid the fine after a court hearing in July last year.
After going through the application process, which lasted several months longer than had been anticipated, Mr Al-Abodi received the news that his mother had died.
His wife Kim, 29, said the family are still waiting to get his travel document and are at their “wits’ end”.
“When we made the application in July, we got an acknowledgement telling us that they had received it, but that was virtually all we heard from them until September when we really needed it,” she toldEvening News.
Mr Al-Abodi has recently been informed that his father is now unwell and he is hoping to secure the necessary paperwork so he can visit him.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Mr Al-Abodi applied for a Certificate of Travel, not a British passport. Certificates of Travel may be issued to foreign nationals resident in the UK who have not been recognised as refugees and are unable to obtain a passport, at the discretion of the Secretary of State.
“We can issue him with a Certificate of Travel once he has paid the full balance required. We are in touch with him to resolve the situation.”
