Illegal migrant claims she can’t be deported to Grenada as her husband won’t be able to cope with the spicy food

Lynthia Calliste, a 35-year-old woman from Grenada, is fighting to stay in the UK after overstaying her visitor visa. She arrived in the UK in March 2018 with her son on a six-month visa but remained in the country after it expired.

Calliste is now arguing that deporting her to Grenada would unfairly disrupt her family life, particularly because her Latvian husband, Konstantin Vinakovs, claims he would struggle with the spicy food and hot, humid climate of her home country.

Calliste and Vinakovs, who live in Cambridgeshire, married in 2022 after meeting in the UK. Calliste applied for a marital visa, but this led to a Home Office investigation into her immigration status.

The couple has since been fighting her deportation, claiming that separating them would violate Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a family life.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Calliste explained that while her husband occasionally enjoys Grenadian dishes she prepares in the UK, he would find it difficult to adapt to the constant heat and spicy food in Grenada.

Vinakovs echoed this, saying he is “not particularly keen on the cuisine” and would struggle to live in a hot, humid country like Grenada, even though he has enjoyed holidays in warm destinations like Tenerife.

Calliste also shared that she initially came to the UK to escape a violent former partner and fears that returning to Grenada could put her at risk of being targeted again. She emphasized that she has built a life in the UK over the past decade, paying taxes and working hard.

Her 14-year-old son, who is currently preparing for his GCSE exams, has also settled in the UK, and she argues that moving him to Grenada would cause significant stress and upheaval.

Vinakovs has supported his wife throughout the legal process, covering the expensive legal fees. However, their case faced a setback in November when a first-tier immigration tribunal rejected Calliste’s appeal.

Judge Mark Blundell ruled that there was “no evidence” to suggest that Vinakovs would struggle with Grenada’s climate or food, pointing out that he had previously enjoyed jet ski rides in tropical conditions and had eaten Caribbean food without difficulty.

Despite this ruling, Calliste has appealed to the upper-tier court and is allowed to remain in the UK until her appeal process is complete. The case highlights the complexities of immigration disputes and the challenges faced by individuals trying to balance legal requirements with personal and family circumstances.

Calliste and her husband continue to argue that their right to a family life should allow her to stay in the UK, while the courts weigh this against immigration laws and the specifics of their situation.