I'm a Blackpool gran who married a Moroccan toyboy – I'm heartbroken he's been denied a UK visa
A Blackpool gran who married a Moroccan toyboy 24 years her junior says she is “devastated” that he still can’t join her in the UK - after being twice denied a visa.
Karen Aghzzaf, 70, met husband Brahim, 46, on Facebook in July 2015 while she was living in Castleford, Yorkshire, and he was based in Khemisset, Morocco.
The pair “instantly hit it off” online and met in person a year later, with Karen flying to Marrakesh to see him for the first time.
They tied the knot in November 2017, but eight years on they are still living 2,107 miles apart.
Brahim, who is just five years older than Karen’s eldest son Dominic, 41, has twice failed the English language test required to obtain a UK spouse visa.
The couple believe his dyslexia is to blame.
Karen - a mum-of-two and gran-of-three - says she is desperate for her husband to live with her and help care for her, but repeated rejections have left them heartbroken.
Karen, now retired and living in Blackpool, said: “I’m not stupid – Brahim wants to work, he wants to take care of me, and I deserve to have my husband living with me.
“We’re trying to get the Home Office to make an exception for Brahim – because of his dyslexia.
“But he’s lost so much confidence because of all this.
“Initially, we did talk about me moving to Morocco – but I don’t think I could do it.”
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Karen says people initially “thought he was with me for my money or citizenship” because of their 24-year age gap.
But the pair’s relationship quickly became serious, and Brahim now gets on with her sons “like a house on fire”.
Their romance began after Karen accepted a friend request from Brahim on Facebook.
They bonded over their shared love of Spain and messaged regularly before meeting in person.
In July 2016, Karen booked a £600 hotel in Marrakesh and spent £300 on flights from Manchester to visit him.
“He made a lot of me when we met in person,” she said. “It felt like something different – an adventure. He was just so nice and thoughtful.”
Karen returned to Morocco five months later to visit Brahim and his family again.
He proposed in May 2017, and the couple married that November in a registry office in Ouarzazate.
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But their attempts to secure a spouse visa have been repeatedly thwarted.
“It was a bloody carry-on in itself just to get married – so much paperwork – and we even had to speak to the British Embassy,” Karen said.
“But we thought there would be less red tape once we were actually married.
“At first, Brahim wanted us to move closer to him, near the Atlas Mountains – but I love my home. I couldn’t have done that.”
Brahim first sat the English language test in January 2021 after Covid restrictions lifted, but failed.
He was asked to resit the test in July 2021 and failed again, meaning the visa was refused.
Karen says they appealed to the Home Office, providing medical evidence of Brahim’s dyslexia, but have heard nothing since.
Their situation has become even more urgent since Karen was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in July 2019 - shortly after she last saw Brahim in person.
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“I do feel like it’s a race against time because I’m really suffering with it,” she said.
“To be honest, I want my husband here to help me get through it – and he’s struggling too, being without me.”
Brahim said: “I feel so lost – and so much loneliness.
“I really miss her and I just want to be with her.
“We haven’t seen each other for over five years – in all that time, we’ve not been together and it’s really hard for me.
“I’m just waiting for the day that I can see her again, live with her and spend the rest of my life with her.”
The Home Office has been approached for comment.