Cork man fights for Ghanian wife to be allowed in to Ireland

A divorced Corkman who married a woman from Ghana has launched a challenge to the Minister for Justice’s decision not to allow her into the country.

Thomas Lyons from Church Road, Blackrock in Cork was told a visa for his wife Beatrice was being refused because it had not been established there was a prior existing relationship between the couple.

Mr Lyons married Beatrice Addy from Ghana in May 2005. Prior to the wedding, he had visited the west African country and had applied for a visa for his new wife.

Two months after they married in Ghana, he was informed the application had been turned down on the grounds that the couple had not established that they had a relationship beforehand.

His lawyers argued that the decision to refuse the visa had been irrational. In his sworn statement, Mr Lyons said he met Ms Addy over the internet in November 2003 and that the couple had spent as much time together as their budgets had allowed.

Mr Justice Peart said it was an interesting case and granted Mr Lyons leave to bring a judicial review challenge.