Shropshire couple in heartbreak wait to bring baby daughter to UK from Philippines
A Shropshire couple are facing an agonising and heartbreaking wait to see if their newborn daughter will be granted a passport and be allowed into the UK.
Henry Curteis and his Philippines-born wife Shane, who live in Shrewsbury, travelled to visit family members in the Philippines in April.
She gave birth to their daughter Selene while out there, and they have since been unable to obtain a passport for her to return home.
The Home Office has told the couple they first lost paperwork, and then claimed to not have received documents.
In May the couple, who used to live in Ellesmere, returned to Shropshire for their other children, Charlie, 10, and Shaun, 6, to go to school, leaving their daughter to be cared for by her grandparents.
Henry, 62, who has a jewellery business in Ellesmere said: "My wife talks on the phone to her for hours a day, but I can't handle it.
"It do it for a few minutes but I can't do anymore.
"It is ridiculous, we haven't been told the truth and it is an unbelievable situation to be in.
"We got the paperwork to them and thought it would maybe take a month to sort, but we heard nothing.
"We've been told they've lost paperwork, or claimed not to receive it but they have been sent everything.
"They have acknowledged that she is a British citizen, as me and my wife are. They haven't said there need to be other checks or anything."
The couple, who have been married seven years after meeting in the Philippines had to make the heartbreaking decision to return to Shropshire.
Wait
On Monday they will fly back out to see their daughter, in the hope that matters can soon be resolved.
However, they will have to wait until next month to hear if Selene is to be granted a passport.
Henry added: "We've had to explain to the boys what is happening.
"We are going back out there and Monday so we are just having to wait to see what happens.
"My wife has said she is staying out there if we haven't got a passport by the end of the six-week stay."
A Home Office spokesman said: "We fully appreciate that the wait for Selene's passport is a distressing time for the Curteis family and we are working to complete all of our necessary checks as soon as possible."
