“Although there may be perceived interference with your right to family life under Article 8, such interference is justified for the purpose of maintaining an effective immigration control, is proportionate to that aim and does not therefore breach your convention rights. I can see no insurmountable obstacles to your sponsor returning to Addis to maintain family ties and I note that she has now divorced her husband in the UK; the reason for her going to settle in the UK is therefore no longer relevant.”
“The case law at Strasbourg and in the UK places a high value on the ability of families to live together. It is well established that in this regard there is both a positive and a negative obligation under article 8. The positive obligation requires the state, in particular, to admit to its territory children of settled immigrants who are minors unless there are sufficiently strong countervailing reasons to make it proportionate to refuse entry. In the leading case of Huang[2007] UKHL 11 ,[2007] 2 AC 167 Lord Bingham said at para 20:” “In an article 8 case where this question [i.e. the question of proportionality] is reached, the ultimate question for the appellate immigration authority is whether the refusal of leave to enter or remain, in circumstances where the life of the family cannot reasonably be expected to be enjoyed elsewhere, taking full account of all considerations weighing in favour of the refusal, prejudices to the family life of the applicant in a manner sufficiently serious to amount to a breach of the fundamental right protected by article 8. If the answer to this question is affirmative, the refusal is unlawful and the authority must so decide.”
“Thousands of Somalis live in Ethiopia. Many do not have formal registration but there is tacit acceptance of their non-legal residence by the authorities. Over the last two decades there have been successive waves of Somalis migrating to Ethiopia. Some have been registered and it is estimated that in Addis Ababa and the urban areas the number could be as high as 40 000. In Addis Ababa alone it is estimated that there are 20 000 Somalis who live with friends and family. It is not uncommon for as many as 7 people to share one room. Somalis in Addis Ababa have established a strong community with its own social and cultural niche. It is dubbed "little Mogadishu" For a significant number of the urban Somalis the quality of life is more than tolerable, with many engaged in trade and running business centres. There is an organised network of compatriots who live off remittances from abroad. For those living in the camps however and without resources and networks, however, life can be bleak. ”
“I am satisfied that it would be reasonable to expect the sponsor to return to Ethiopia to establish family life there with the appellants. I am further satisfied that even if I were to hold that it would not be reasonable to expect the sponsor and the appellants to enjoy family life in Ethiopia, the continued separation of the appellants from the sponsor would not prejudice their family life in a manner sufficiently serious to amount to a breach of the fundamental right protected by article 8, having regard to the factors in favour of refusal. These are my reasons: i) A primary consideration is the best interest of the minor children. It is trite that even in entry clearance cases, the best interests of the children are a consideration of high importance, although not always necessarily determinative of the outcome. They are 'a primary consideration' but not 'the primary' or paramount consideration, They are important, but, depending on the facts of the case, in the final evaluation other considerations may carry greater weight. [He then referred to the decision of Jamaica[2011] UKUT 00483 .] ii) The United Kingdom sponsor is the natural mother of three of the appellants. Her three children were born on4 December 1993 ,15 July 1996 and19 May 1995 . At the date of application they were all under the age of 18, with the youngest child being aged 14 at the time of the application. I accept that the remaining two appellants, the sponsor's nephew and niece, stand on the same footing as her natural children. Up until the time the sponsor left Somalia in 2004, she had been caring for her nephew and niece, and regarded them as her natural children. The sponsor has a maternal bond with all five appellants. I accept that in the 8 years that she has resided in the United Kingdom, the sponsor has maintained regular contact with the appellants, and has provided them with significant financial support. In these circumstances the decision to exclude the appellants from joining in the United Kingdom is one that the appellants and the sponsor would find distressing. Each of the appellants too, is at an age when the emotional support and daily contact with their parent is not only desirable but in their interests. I cannot therefore understate the strong emotional need that all the appellants have to reunite with their parent. iii) I accept that the appellants' quality of life in the United Kingdom would be considerably enhanced. I accept that they are living under difficult conditions in Addis Ababa without the same level of amenities and education that they would be able to enjoy in the United Kingdom. They are however in the same position as thousands of other Somalis. The sponsor has the choice of either returning to live with them or of remaining in the United Kingdom and visiting them in Ethiopia as she has done in the recent past. In either event the appellants would be continue to be in the relatively more fortunate position than thousands of other Somalis in Ethiopia, in that they would receive remittances from the sponsor or her relatives in the United Kingdom, in the event that she returned. iv) In assessing the harshness of the potential consequences of the respondent’s decision it is important to bear in mind that this is not a case that involved disrupting family life that has subsisted in this country for a significant number of years. This is a case of family reunion [after] a five year period during which the sponsor and the appellants have not lived together. This distinction does not affect the weight to be attached to family life, but it does have some bearing, though limited, on the severity of the consequences of interference. v) It is of some relevance and tells against the sponsor she took a conscious decision some years ago to leave the appellants in Ethiopia and to settle in the United Kingdom. She could not have been certain that they would be able to be reunited in the near future and it is a decision she took in full knowledge of the attendant risks and the potential consequences for the appellants. vi) The appellants’ settlement in the United Kingdom would impose a significant burden on not only public funds but on public services generally. This is an important consideration because the interests of the public must be given due weight in the balancing exercise.”