Visa refused to pregnant wife of Irish solicitor

THE Department of Justice is refusing to grant a visa to the pregnant Ukrainian wife of an Irish solicitor.

Cork solicitor Denis Linehan, 50, and his wife Larisa, 37, made headlines last year when they lost a High Court battle to get a visa so they could marry in Ireland.

The couple were forced to marry in Britain instead. But even then the Government refused to recognise the religious marriage as there was no civil ceremony.

Unable to live in Ireland, the couple moved to Poland before coming here on a holiday visa six months ago.

Although she is nine months pregnant, the Government has now refused to accept a visa renewal application, telling Larisa she will have to travel to Kiev to lodge her application with the Irish embassy there.

But Larisa, whose pregnancy is almost full term, is due to have an elective Caesarian section this Friday and cannot travel. “The baby’s head is in a breeched position so she will have an induced delivery this Friday.

“We’re very excited about it and we can’t wait but this whole visa situation has put a bit of a pall over the whole thing,” said Mr Linehan.

“When a husband and child are Irish and living in Ireland and the mother and wife are being told to bug off to Kiev to get a visa, I think that’s a bit rich,” he added.

The couple had difficulty coming to Ireland in the first place and had to move to Poland after Irish authorities refused to recognise their non-civil marriage in Britain last summer.

Subsequently, thanks to a friendly Irish Consul, the couple managed to secure a three-month visa to Ireland and then returned to the same Consul in Poland to have it renewed for a further three months, said Mr Linehan.

Now, however, the Department of Justice has told Mr Linehan that his wife will have to travel to the Ukraine to apply for a further visa renewal.

“There’s no earthly reason why she should have to fly a few thousand miles round trip just to hand in a letter which will probably be decided on in Dublin anyway,” Mr Linehan said.

A Department of Justice spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases but that it was normal practice for visa applications to be lodged in the country of origin.