LOVE does not respect international boundaries and has little regard for cultural differences. Nor does it pay much heed to age.
Take, for instance, the case of widower John Harris, a 74-year-old retired printer from Bearwood, and Lijuan Liu, a 38-year-old doctor from Harbin in China.
Cupid's arrow struck when she moved temporarily into the house next to his own.
They engaged 18 months ago and Lijuan returned to China a year ago to apply for a marriage visa.
But love's course does not always run smoothly and Home Office officials have refused to allow Lijuan to return to this country.
A spokesman refuses to discuss the case but says, in general, that proof is needed that couples intend to live together, that marriages are genuine and that those being allowed into Britain will not be a drain on the public purse.
The rules are understandable. Sham marriages should not be seen as an easy way to gain entry to the UK.
But the romance that has blossomed between John and Lijuan - as unlikely as it seems to those on the outside - appears genuine.
Lijuan is a qualified doctor who is unlikely to be a drain on Britain's benefit system.
For pity's sake, let John's golden years be spent in the arms of the woman he loves.