A young father has told of his heartbreak and anger at being separated from his wife and son because of immigration red tape.

Amjad Azam, 19, from Surrey Street, Keighley, has been trying to get wife Balqees Akhtar and two-year-old son Ibrahim entry to Britain from Pakistan for more than two years.

Since Amjad made an application for settlement in April 1999 to the British High Commission, he has been caught in a long battle that has involved countless letters and phone calls.

He has also found himself in a Catch 22 situation, where he cannot visit his young family without jeopardising the chances of them being allowed entry to this country.

Keighley MP Ann Cryer and members of the Sangat Centre, in Marlborough Street, have contacted the immigration department handling the case in the hope of bringing a resolution to the situation.

Amjad, who works as a waiter in a Sheffield restaurant, said: "After I made the initial application I had interviews in December 1999 and a subsequent interview in May last year.

"The entry officer initially turned down my application because he wasn't satisfied that I was working, but the premises in Sheffield where I was employed caught fire and so the business had to operate from a temporary portable cabin.

"Instead of writing to me, they tried phoning the premises, but there was no reply because the phone line wasn't connected.

"When I provided the documentation to prove I was working it was allowed to go to appeal last December.

"The appeal was upheld and they said everything was in order, but I'm still waiting for determination from the appeals authority to say whether my application has been successful or not."

He added: "There were instances when I wanted to go over because my son was sick, but if I left my job to travel I would be breaking the employment conditions required to get my family over here.

"It's very frustrating and I'm fed up of waiting for an answer."

Amjad married Balqees, who lives near the city of Multan, in March 1998, and the couple spent four months together in Pakistan before he returned to Keighley.

Since then the only communication they have had is through the post or by phone.

Sangat Centre manager Khadim Hussain said: "Our main concern is the length of time it is taking to issue determination.

"It is common for the process to take between six to eight weeks, so this is an exceptionally long time and it is either down to a lack of resources or a lack of care and responsibility.

"I have contacted the appeals authority in Leeds on more than ten occasions and have still not had a satisfactory explanation about what has gone wrong."

A spokesman for Mrs Cryer said: "We are trying to investigate what has happened with this case, and we have written to the British High Commission and the appellant authority and are expecting a reply very soon."

The Keighley News contacted the appeals authority but it said it could not comment on the case.