Petrah Appianing v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Facts

The appellant, born in Pordenone, Italy on 10 September 2009, is an Italian citizen; her translated birth certificate names her parents as Joseph Appianing and Mercy Appianing and records her acquisition of Italian citizenship on 7 July 2017. She had a history of applications under the EU Settlement Scheme. An application made on 12 December 2021, sponsored by Leticia Appianing, was refused on 6 April 2022 on the basis that the sponsor was an extended family member, and no appeal was brought. A second application, made on 14 January 2024 naming Joseph Appianing as sponsor, was refused on 8 May 2024 on the basis that the sponsor was a joining family member, and again no appeal was brought. The present application, made as a joining family member with her father Joseph Appianing as sponsor, was refused by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 4 October 2024, and the appellant appealed to the First-tier Tribunal under the Immigration (Citizens' Rights Appeals) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The respondent's case was that Joseph Appianing had himself been granted status under the Scheme as a joining family member and so could not be a relevant sponsor. The appeal was heard at Coventry Magistrates Court, where the appellant did not attend and was not represented.