ICC Note:

After several Pakistani Christian leaders were denied entrance into the UK recently, the Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged that she will have her government “look into” why the decision was made. The Pakistani Christian leaders were invited to Glasgow to meet with the Church of Scotland about growing a partnership between the two Christian communities. The visas for these Christian leaders were denied because it was feared they would overstay their visas and become illegal immigrants. Will the UK now let these Pakistani Christian leaders in so they can gain a new partnership with another Christian community that could provide much needed assistance?

12/01/2016 Pakistan (Herald Scotland) – Theresa May has pledged that her government will investigate a decision to prevent a visit to Glasgow by a delegation of Pakistani Christians.

The Prime Minister said that the Home Secretary Amber Rudd would “look into” the situation.

Earlier this month the Church of Scotland hit out at the Home Office complaining that red tape was harming its efforts to build links with other Christian communities.

The Church’s Presbytery of Glasgow had vouched for two senior delegates from the Church of Pakistan.

They had been invited to the city as part of a twinning project between the Presbytery and the Diocese of Hyderabad.

Even though the Kirk said that it would pay for the trip the Home Office turned down the applications for entry to the UK.

Officials said that they feared the visitors would overstay their visas and remain in the UK as illegal immigrants.

At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, East Renfrewshire MP Kirsten Oswald asked Mrs. May if she would tell the Church “why its visitors are not welcome and what messages she thinks it sends to our faith communities?”

Mrs. May told her that the UK operated a “very clear” visa system and that decisions were “taken according to its rules”.

But she added that her cabinet colleague Ms. Rudd would “look at the case”.

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