Who we are

Love is Not Tourism UK is a community of people who are separated from their life partners in other countries by COVID-19 Travel restrictions, with one of the couple being based in the UK. We want travel to reunite with our partner to be classified as essential travel, not leisure or tourism.

What we want

We are seeking £5,200 to obtain legal advice from leading lawyers on:

• If travel to reunite with our partner can be treated as essential, not leisure travel, both on leaving the UK to reunite with our partners or our partners travelling to the UK.
• If our enforced separation from our partners can be taken into account when we apply for visas.

• Whether quarantine fees are lawful or can be waived for partners reuniting after being forcibly separated. 

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What's at stake?

With the imposition of COVID-19 travel restrictions a year ago, couples based in different countries found ourselves unexpectedly and brutally separated from each other.  Some couples have been in relationships for many years, some are more recent. Some have children who cannot see one of their parents.

In the year since, our ability to see our partners has not got any better. Many of us have not seen, held, our partner in over a year. 

The UK, unlike other countries has so far not made any ‘sweetheart provision’ to treat travel for the purpose of reuniting with your life partner as essential, not leisure travel. Boris Johnson has spoken about the importance of reuniting families within the UK but has not spoken about the importance of reuniting families separated internationally.

Why we're seeking legal advice

The UK travel restrictions, for both persons in the UK trying to leave and those wanting to enter, are confusing and unclear as to whether such travel is permitted. Essential travel is permitted for work, for athletics but there is no mention of reunification with life partners, Therefore we need clear legal advice.

We are seeking clear legal advice on whether and when travel to reunite with your life partner should be treated by UK authorities as essential, not leisure travel. And whether UK authorities failure to treat this travel as essential can be challenged. This would be through leading lawyers, Bindman and Partners, and barrister Adam Wagner.

This advice would address both outward travel from the UK, including whether the new exit form for reasons for travel should include reunification with your partner as a valid reason. And it would examine travel into the UK to reunite with our partners and when this can be considered as essential. This would include whether, when the quarantine hotels and their cost will prevent partners from reuniting, the fees can be waived or are lawful.

We will also ask if the COVID restrictions can be taken into account when we apply for visas, including on the genuineness of our relationship when we have not been able to see each other, and if, as binational couples we can be considered members of our support bubble for each other.

Obtaining this advice will allow us to clearly plan to reunite with our partners, to know with more certainty when and how we can travel, and allow children to see parents.  It will end our separation and show that love is not tourism.

Our stories

Rachael has been separated from her boyfriend for a year, between the travel restrictions in her boyfriends country and the UK, there was 2 week window for travel, Rachael had booked to travel but then the introduction of tiers and Tier 4 restrictions mean the trip has been cancelled.  The separation is putting undue pressure on her relationship and has worsened existing anxiety issues as well as delaying her final move to be together permanently.

Roanne and her fiancé have also been separated a year.  The travel bans and restrictions have meant their wedding has been cancelled twice which in turn is preventing them from starting a family.  Along with this, they have had to deal with cancelled trips which has lead to Roanne's fiancé distancing himself from his family. They also fear that when they do apply for a visa to get married the genuineness of their relationship will be questioned as they have had to spend so much time apart. The fear is that after a year of being separated, there is no clarity that they will be able to reunite before the end of the year. 

We thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope that you will support us as we try reunite with our partners because Love is not Tourism, it's essential.