By Stefan Morkis and David Clegg

THE CAMPAIGN to keep the Broughty Ferry woman at the centre of a visa wrangle in the country is now gaining cross-party support.

Dundee West’s Labour MP Jim McGovern has revealed he is among the signatories on the petition in support of Josie Pasane.

He told The Courier last night, “I read the circumstances of Josie’s situation and I felt her campaign was worthy of my support.

“Although Josie is not a constituent of mine, it is my understanding she is a graduate of a university in my constituency, so I contacted the Rev Catherine Collins and signed the petition and said I would be willing to help in any way I can.”

The news of Mr McGovern’s support came as it emerged Dundee East’s SNP MP Stewart Hosie will meet Immigration Minister Liam Byrne personally to discuss Josie’s plight.

The 25-year-old Abertay University graduate, who has lived in Broughty Ferry for seven years, has been refused permission to stay in the UK—although her sister and mother have both been granted permanent residency.

Mr Hosie has lodged an early day motion at Westminster to drum up support among MPs for Josie.

“The next step in terms of the early day motion is to try to encourage people to sign it, which I will do when I return to London next week,” said Mr Hosie. “The key thing is the petition which I will receive on Monday and give to the Home Office on Tuesday.”

Last night the motion had already been signed by two Labour MPs—Lynne Jones, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Hosie said he also intends to appeal directly to Mr Byrne about Josie’s case.

Josie applied with her mother Catherine and sister Mammie (22) for permanent residency in the UK in 2004.

They claim Home Office officials advised them that Josie could wait until her visa expired in February this year before she would have to apply for permanent residency.

However, when she did submit her application it was rejected because she is not wholly or mainly dependent on a relative in the UK.

The family appealed to the independent Immigration and Asylum tribunal but they chose not to overturn the Home Office’s decision.

The Broughty Ferry community has rallied round Josie and her family.

Josie, her mother and sister are all members of the Broughty Ferry New Kirk and its kirk session has organised the petition that Mr Hosie will submit to the Home Office.

An online petition, meanwhile, has also gathered nearly 300 signatures since it was started. It can be signed at www.ipeti tions.

com/petition/keep_josie_in_the_uk