“I Married a British Woman and She Gave Birth to Our Baby, But My UK Visa Has Been Refused Several Times and I Can’t Come Back to the UK — The Reason May Shock You”

Rachel Mackay says she has been raising her baby mostly on her own for the past eight months because her husband has been refused a UK visa several times.

Rachel, 29, met her husband Kieyaamudien, 34, while she was on holiday in Turkey with her family in August 2024. He was working at a hotel as a singer, and the two started talking after one of his performances. They exchanged numbers and continued their relationship after Rachel returned to the UK.

Their relationship became serious, and they began planning a future together. However, they found out that Rachel was pregnant sooner than expected. Although the pregnancy was a surprise, the couple said they were very happy and wanted to build a family together.

Rachel already has two children from a previous relationship, so she needs to remain in the UK. She and Kieyaamudien have since faced several problems trying to live together.

Kieyaamudien has had three visitor visa applications refused. He also had a fiancé visa application rejected before the couple eventually got married. Rachel says one of the visitor visa applications was made so that he could be in the UK for the birth of their daughter, Emersyn.

However, the visa was refused because officials were not satisfied that he would return to his home country after his visit. As a result, Kieyaamudien could not be in the UK when his daughter was born and had to watch the birth through FaceTime.

Their daughter, Emersyn, is now eight months old. Rachel says her husband has missed many important moments in their daughter’s early life, including her first laugh, first foods and first time crawling.

Rachel said it has been painful watching her daughter grow up without her father being there every day. She said many of the special moments have had to be shared through videos and phone calls instead.

The couple got married in South Africa in March 2026, but the marriage has not solved their immigration problems. Kieyaamudien has still never been able to visit the UK because of his unsuccessful visa applications.

Rachel says their fiancé visa application was refused because she did not meet the required financial level to sponsor him. The current minimum income requirement for the standard UK spouse visa route is £29,000 a year.

Rachel works as a self-employed nail technician and is also caring for three children. She says it is very difficult to work enough hours to reach the required income because she is also looking after her children.

The family says they have already spent more than £7,000 on visa applications, legal advice, travel and other documents. Rachel says losing so much money after the applications were refused has been extremely difficult for the family.

Kieyaamudien has now moved to Spain for seasonal work, which allows him to be closer to Rachel and their daughter. Rachel and Emersyn have travelled to Spain to see him four times, but they have had to stop travelling for now because they cannot afford another trip while also trying to save money for another visa application.

The family stays in contact every day through FaceTime. Rachel says they do everything they can to make sure Kieyaamudien remains part of his daughter’s life, even though they cannot live together.

She says the travelling is also expensive because they have to pay for flights, accommodation and other costs. Despite the difficulties, she says the family would not change having their daughter and only wants the chance to live together.

Rachel’s biggest hope is for her daughter to grow up with both parents in the same home. She says they do not want anything special and simply want to live together as a normal family in the UK.

Rachel has also been sharing their experience on TikTok, where her posts about the family’s situation have received around 1.4 million views. She says many people have contacted her to share similar experiences of being separated from their partners or children because of immigration rules.

She hopes telling their story will help people understand the emotional and financial pressure families can face when visa applications are refused.

The family is now saving for another spouse visa application and is receiving help from an immigration solicitor. Rachel says she is doing everything she can to increase her income and meet the financial requirement.

She also says moving to another country is not a realistic option because her two older children have their lives, school, family and relationship with their father in the UK. She does not want to take them away from their father.

For Rachel, the situation is about wanting her children to have both parents around them. She says the family simply wants the opportunity to live together under one roof instead of having to travel between countries and depend on phone calls to stay connected.

The Home Office said it does not normally comment on individual cases. It said every visa application is considered separately under the Immigration Rules and decisions are based on the information and evidence provided by the applicant.