‘It really feels like the odds are stacked against us’: Meet the married couples kept apart by coronavirus

As visa centres closed across the world during the pandemic, couples found themselves separated by thousands of miles – and a lot of red tape. Nicola Kelly talks to those desperate to be together again

Sara hasn't seen her husband for three months

It’s been more than three months since Sara saw her husband, Omar*, and the cracks in their marriage have started to appear.

“He’s started to withdraw from me, he just seems so depressed,” she says. “He’s calling less, and when he does, he barely asks how me and our two-year-old daughter are. It’s heartbreaking. How are we supposed to live when there’s only a bit of hope left?”

In February, shortly before the national lockdown started, Omar was granted a 30-day vignette – a month-long window to travel from his home country of Morocco to the UK – but two days before he was due to fly out, bags packed, the flight was cancelled. His entry vignette has since expired and the couple have had no information about the status of his application.