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Pastor and his Brazilian wife win latest fight to stay in the UK

A married couple forced to live thousands of miles apart in an immigration battle have won a fresh fight in their bid to stay together for good.

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Adna Cooper and Robert Cooper

Church pastor Robert Cooper and wife Adna, who live in Brierley Hill, were torn apart when Brazilian Adna was refused entry to the UK four years ago.

The couple met in Sao Paulo in 1999 and married the following year in Kingswinford but, after returning to Brazil in 2003, Adna was refused a permanent visa. But three years ago they won an appeal, and Adna was granted a temporary visa and the pair were reunited.

And now the couple have found out they have had an application for the visa to be extended approved. Adna, aged 38, who now works as a receptionist, has had her visa extended by two and a half years. A permanent visa can be applied for in 2019.

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The process cost the couple £5,000 and proved so stressful, Robert stepped down from his role as a church pastor at the First Renewal Presbyterian Church. The 42-year-old, who is working again as a pastor at the Waterfront Christian Fellowship in Brierley Hill, said: “We’re so relieved we can move on with our lives for another few years.” Adna said: “It feels like your whole life could fall apart, but thankfully I’ve got a visa again”

The couple met when Robert, a former pupil at Pensnett School, was doing church work in the suburbs of Sao Paulo. They returned to the UK the following year and Adna was given a resident visa before they married at Kingswinford Christian Centre. After returning to Brazil in 2003, the pair encountered problems on wanting to return to the UK ten years later. Under immigration rules, only British people who earn more than £18,600 can sponsor and a problem with pay slips separated the pair.

Robert earned enough but he was unable to get pay slips to prove it due to his employer being a non-profit group organisation and the pair were forced to live apart. They received support from former MP Chris Kelly and eventually won their battle for a temporary visa.