A family holiday week in Cephalonia turned into a nightmare for a 39-year-old father of two when aviation authorities refused to allow him to board a return flight to United Kingdom. Despite living in Britain almost since birth, Kyle Harris was faced with the new immigration laws involving citizens with dual citizenship.

The 39-year-old traveled to Kefalonia with his wife Ruth and their two sons for a short vacation. But when the family arrived at the airport for their flight back to Britain, they were told he could not board as he was travelling on a US passport and did not have a British one.

Harris was born in the state of Maryland, USA to a British mother and American father who worked for the Royal Air Force. However, he was transferred to the UK before he was one year old and has lived in the country permanently ever since.

Until recently, many citizens with dual nationality could enter Britain using their second nationality passport. From February, however, the rules changed and a valid British or Irish passport or special digital certificate of right of entry is now required.

“My husband cannot return home”

His wife described the family’s adventure via a post on social media. “Imagine being told that your husband cannot return to the UK despite living there for 39 years, paying taxes and National Insurance contributions for 24 years, attending British schools, raising British citizens and building his entire life there, she wrote.

He has lived and built his entire life in the United States, and has lived and built his entire life in the United States.
As he explained, the family had no information about the changes in the law either when they booked their tickets or when they left for Greece.

She stressed that the only solution seems to be to either obtain a British passport from Greece or apply for permission to enter the country where her husband has lived almost his entire life, a process that can take between three and eight weeks.

Medication problem too

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Harris is on medication for a pituitary tumour and had only carried medication with him for the holidays.

“He needs to return to see his treating physician and receive his treatment. We had planned to be gone only a week,”his wife said.

Meanwhile, the family has contacted the British consulate in Greece and the UK Foreign Office, sending documents, birth certificates and tax information to speed up the process.

The new laws are causing a backlash

The casehas sparked a strong reaction on social media, as it appears that many citizens with dual citizenship were unaware that the regulations had changed.

The UK government has argued that the new procedures are part of a digitisation of the immigration system, with the aim of better controlling entries into the country and enhancing border security.

However, the case of Kyle Harris is not unique. According to British media reports, several families with dual citizenship have already faced similar problems, as the new rules are being implemented without adequate prior notification of travelers.

For its part, airline Jet2 said its staff had acted in accordance with the law and guidance from the UK authorities, urging passengers to always check travel requirements before any travel.