Just five days after offering to help a stranded British couple, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked the UK government for an update on a passport for their infant daughter. Chris and Michele Newman are in Mumbai with a medical visa that expires on October 7, meanwhile their surrogate child in India, Lily's travel documents might not be ready by that time.
The plight of the family was highlighted by the Indian media, also catching Swaraj's eye. Moved by their situation, the minister sent out a tweet saying, "We will help (you) with extension for your visa. Pl give your details." The couple had applied for a British passport for their child on June 3, but processing delays with the international checks at the UK Passport Office has left them in a soup. The Newmans have even put up a petition on website Change.org, saying, "We are proud new parents to our amazing daughter Lily, who was born in Mumbai through surrogacy in May 2016. We travelled to Mumbai for Lily's birth and to bring her home to Epsom in Surrey. However, we have been left stranded because of delays due to UK Passport Office checks and may have to leave our three-and-a-half month old daughter with a complete stranger, as we are forced to leave by the Indian Government."
The ever pro-active Swaraj sent out a latest tweet that read, "When will Britain give Lily a passport? We are prepared to extend parents' visa till then." She had earlier advised the British couple to acquire a British passport for their child as "Orphanage is not an option for baby Lily."
