{"id":162463,"date":"2021-03-07T16:08:19","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T16:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=162463"},"modified":"2021-03-28T11:15:38","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T11:15:38","slug":"divorcees-whose-children-live-abroad-forced-to-pay-hundreds-of-pounds-to-comply-with-court-visitatio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/divorcees-whose-children-live-abroad-forced-to-pay-hundreds-of-pounds-to-comply-with-court-visitatio\/","title":{"rendered":"Divorcees whose children live abroad forced to pay hundreds of pounds to comply with court visitatio…"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n \"a<\/span>
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\n \u00a9 Provided by The Telegraph<\/span>
\n COVID-19 testing site at Heathrow Airport
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Divorcees whose children live abroad are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds to comply with court visitation orders, lawyers have warned.<\/p>\n

In accordance with current government guidelines, travellers\u00a0must purchase a \u00a3210 testing kit, and take their test on day two and day eight of isolation. Those who fail to do so may face penalties of up to \u00a32,000.<\/p>\n

The Government has an approved list of people who qualify for exemption from the payment – including the likes of aerospace engineers, BBC journalists, defence personnel, offshore oil and gas workers, elite athletes, and people who have regular work in the UK but live abroad.<\/p>\n

However, parents whose children live abroad are unable to visit them without being subject to the fine, meaning many fear they will be unable to fulfil court visitation orders.<\/p>\n

Family lawyers as well as parents forced to pay the \u00a3210 are now calling on the government to add separated parents to the exemption list in a bid to put an end to the \u201csignificant financial burden\u201d of \u201cseeing your kid\u201d.<\/p>\n

Henry McLoughlin, 36, works as an analyst at a renewable energy firm and lives in London but has a four-year-old daughter in Paris.<\/p>\n

He said that he understands that the \u00a3210 kit acts as a deterrent to stop people travelling unnecessarily during lockdown. However, he added: \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t work if you\u2019re fulfilling your duty about seeing your kid. The deterrent shouldn\u2019t be keeping families apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the first UK lockdown in March 2020, there were exemptions for parents dealing with custody issues, meaning that children were able to move between houses.<\/p>\n

However, there is currently no such system in place regarding international travel, meaning that many families that live across different countries are hundreds-of-pounds out of pocket.<\/p>\n

The extra \u00a3210 required for the travel test package, required since February 15, would add up to around \u00a37,000 over a year. If it continues to remain in place, some divorced or separated parents fear they will be unable to meet their legal obligations.<\/p>\n


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\n \"Heathrow\"<\/span>
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\n \u00a9 Provided by The Telegraph<\/span>
\n Heathrow
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In a worst case scenario, parents who are unable to carry out visitation requirements set out by judges in family courts could be found in contempt of court. Penalties for such offences range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the seriousness of the breach.<\/p>\n

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Video: PIP (Personal Independence Payment): How to claim (Liverpool Echo)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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