A BANTRY-based dentist, and an Irish citizen, has described the wait for his wife to be given a visa to join him in West Cork as ‘a never-ending hell’ – and one which may force him to leave Ireland.
Danial Muhammad (27) described how he and his wife Amama met at a family wedding and got married a short time later – in September 2022.
His wife, who is in Pakistan studying to be a pharmacist, had hoped to come and live with Danial when he returned to his professional life in Ireland.
But her visa application was refused under the financial criteria – which did not recognise Danial’s legitimate German banking account – and the couple immediately lodged an appeal.
Part of the unending hell Danial refers to is waiting for a massive backlog within the Irish Emigration Service process to be cleared.
The couple said they have not applied for a holiday visa for Amama because they want to be correct in every aspect of their application, but it’s been two years and they feel they are getting nowhere.
Danial said he is so down about it that he is considering emigrating to a country where it would be easier for his wife to join him, despite having called Ireland home for the last 20 years. He explained that he, his sister, and their parents came from the town of Toba Tek Singh in Pakistan in July 2005, seeking a life that offered more opportunities, and they lived for a time in direct provision in Millstreet.
Now he lives in Dunmanway and his parents run successful restaurants in Passage West, Dunmanway and Skibbereen.
Danial is all too aware of the lack of dentists in West Cork, and the pressure it is putting on the system, especially in terms of providing dental care for children.
But with 10, or more, TDs and senators unable to help them, so far, Danial said he may have no option but to leave. ‘All we have got from the Irish Emigration Service is cookie-cutter replies that have put us in a holding pattern that seems to have no end in sight,’ said Danial.
After qualifying as a dentist at UCC in 2021, Danial worked in Drogheda for about 18 months before taking a job offer in Bantry.
Amama hasn’t even visited Bantry, so it is up to Danial to travel to Pakistan to visit his wife for about two weeks every three months. He said she is ‘really down’ about their situation and they both have concerns about her safety as a solitary woman in Pakistan.
‘We are not able to spend much time together as a couple,’ he said. ‘I can get a job in Pakistan, but I have been living here as an Irish citizen for about 15 years, and it should be permissible for Amama to live here too. ‘I love Bantry,’ said Danial. ‘I am one of a few dentists in the entire West Cork area, which is extremely under-served, and would love to continue working here.’
According to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, the current system for reuniting families like the Muhammad’s is restricted and the appeals process is backlogged. ‘Being separated from your partner in this way puts incredible strain on families. There is no reason not to facilitate family reunification in instances like this, to help families put down roots in the communities like Bantry, which Dr Muhammad works tirelessly to care for,’ she said. ‘When we don’t allow for family reunification, we run the risk of losing valuable members of our community and access to vital services. We need a system which helps those who work here to truly make a home in West Cork – one which values them and gives them security in their future,’ she added.
