A MAN left in limbo by an asylum application that has dragged on for more than a decade is threatening to kill himself after not being able to see his wife and three children for two years.

Youssef Harami, of Wigan Road, Leigh, is pleading with the government to finally make a decision on whether or not he will be made a British citizen so that he can save his marriage.

His Canadian wife Hanan and their children used to spend six-month stints with Youssef in Leigh to comply with visa regulations, before passport officers refused them entry to the UK when she was pregnant two years ago and made them fly back to Canada.

With Youssef being unable to travel outside the UK due to him having no official documentation while his asylum application is processed, he has never met his one-year-old daughter Maram.

The 36-year-old, who has lived in Leigh for 10 years after fleeing war-torn Palestine and Lebanon in 2003 to look for a better life, says his wife has had enough of living as a single parent and is going to leave him unless the ‘heartbreaking’ situation is resolved soon.

He is furious at the government for 'destroying his life and taking away his humanity’ and says he will have no reason to live unless he can be reunited with his family.

A tearful Youssef said: “I came to England after leaving two countries that have no justice. I am in a good country but the government is destroying my life and taking away my humanity.

“This situation is heartbreaking for me.

“Hanan has had enough of trying to raise three children on her own.

“She needs her husband and I am not allowed to be that for her.

“My five-year-old daughter Malak was asked by a teacher in school where her dad is and she answered ‘I do not know because I never see him’.

“This broke my heart because I love my children and my wife. All I want is to be with my family and to be treated like a human being.

“Hanan has said she will leave me if this is not resolved soon. If I lose my family I will kill myself because they are my life.

“I applied to be a British citizen as soon as I came into the country in 2003. Having waited 13 years I need to finally have an answer.

“I am happy to leave and seek asylum elsewhere if Britain do not want me, but having no answer means I am trapped in this situation.”

Due to Youssef being stateless he was not able to legally marry Hanan, so instead they had a non-legally-binding Muslim wedding ceremony six years ago.

This prevents him from being able to claim Canadian citizenship as Hanan’s husband and live across the pond with his family.

Youssef is also not able to have a job and has to rely on help from friends to survive.

He said: “People always ask me ‘how could you get married if you had this problem?’

“But I told Hanan everything from the beginning and we did not expect my application to take this long.

“I came here for a better life and did everything I was supposed to and never broke any rules.

“Yet I am losing the life I have made for myself with my family.

“I have also not seen my parents for 13 years as I cannot even go back to Lebanon to see them.

“I am just hoping that someone somewhere will hear my story and be able to help me.”

Youssef’s best friend Samer Masri, 46, who also lives in Leigh said: “It should be a crime to make a man wait so long for citizenship.

“I have known him since he arrived here 13 years ago and he is a good man. He is well liked in the community and doctors and teachers have written recommendations for him, but still nothing.”

Andy Burnham’s office told the Journal that the Leigh MP and shadow home secretary has ‘made representations’ for Youssef to the UK Visas and Immigration office and ‘will continue to offer him support’.