Home Office denies mother’s visa while approving father’s in divergent ruling

The UK Home Office has rejected a visitor visa application for Therese Abdallah, a 69-year-old retired English teacher from Palestinian Jerusalem, while simultaneously approving the application of her husband, Ghassan Abdallah. The divergent decision has drawn attention to the administrative handling of immigration cases involving Palestinian Jerusalemites, who hold a unique legal status as non-citizens possessing Israeli and Jordanian travel documents.

Karim Abdallah, Therese’s son who has resided in London since 2019, stated that Home Office officials were not satisfied his mother was a “genuine visitor” and believed she would not leave the UK after visiting him. The refusal letter explicitly noted that the official was “not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that you are a genuine visitor,” adding that her UK ties appeared to outweigh her home country ties.

The decision was made despite both parents applying via the same process with identical supporting evidence. Karim Abdallah confirmed that both applications were supported by the same invitation from his partner and provided identical documentation regarding their financial means to support the couple during their visit. He noted that he has lived legally in the UK for eight years, works, pays taxes, and does not access benefits.

Therese Abdallah has no right to appeal or administrative review of the decision. She was born in East Jerusalem and has lived there for her entire life. Her son highlighted that she has significant family ties in the region, including another son, an oncologist, who lives in East Jerusalem with his wife, children, and extended family. Karim stated that his mother would not want to lose her residency status, which would be at risk if she stayed away for too long.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that all visa applications are assessed on individual merits and evidence provided, including declarations relating to previous refusals. Therese had a previous UK visa application refused in 2019 due to a technical issue regarding the submission of her bank statement in Hebrew. Both parents had previously travelled to the UK for academic visits without visa issues.