A FIJIAN father of two who served in the British Army for 12 years lost his job yesterday after being refused a citizenship visa by the Home Office putting his family life in Pembrokeshire at risk.

Sam Cataki, who was based at Brawdy in 2007 and setting up home in Neyland in 2012, has been told he can no longer work in the UK legally despite having lived and worked here since being recruited by the army age 20.

The community in Neyland, including his rugby team mates, is rallying in support of Sam and his wife Seini, who works at a nearby nursing home, and their two children Mesake, 5, and Jared, 1, calling on the Home Office to grant his visa.

Sam said: “I think it’s because I got three points on my licence in 2013, they think it’s not good citizenship.

“I went to Stephen Crabb in 2014 and he helped me by writing to the minister of immigration and a got a letter saying if I didn’t have any conviction in one year I can reapply again, which I have done but they say my application is void and I have to reapply for settlement Armed Forces indefinite leave to remain. I’ve been waiting ever since.”

Each application has cost from around £800 to nearly £2,000 and Sam has been t Port Talbot three times to have his bio-metric details recorded.

Sam has worked for Milford Haven Port Authority as a search team operative at Pembroke Dock port since November 2014 and said they have been as supportive as they could be throughout the recent troubles but had to “terminate his contract” when he was declared not legal to work.

“I can’t work legally even though I’ve paid my taxes for 15 years. Work have told me they will hold on for two weeks but I don’t know how long the Home Office will take. It’s as if I came here illegally but they came to recruit us in Fiji, all my family know is the armed forces and working for the Port Authority.

“I’ve been here 15 years and I’m not allowed to work now. Everybody at work is not happy, especially my boss and those I work with as well as those in the forces, they just think it’s disgusting the way they treating people.

“Anybody can come and they get given everything straight away but for us that have served and fought for Queen and country, we get nothing at all, even if we follow correct procedures,” he added.

He added that he was grateful for all the support he had been getting and said: “In five or so years I will have spent more time here that in Fiji, this is home, I really don’t know what is wrong with the application”.

“I’m not someone who likes to talk about myself but this is the third time it’s been rejected, it’s getting beyond. All I want, if I can work, I don’t mind waiting as long as I can work,” he added.

Sam is contacting armed forces charity SAFFA and Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb for help as the fight to get his job back continues.