I would imagine there are indeed some poor buggers who are trying to sort out the "redtape scenario" imposed by higher authority (whom I include within the expression "immigration authorities".)

But I think that the fact that this affair has come to light probably makes it more likely that it will be sorted out than would have been the case if it had been possible to keep it under wraps.

By "have got it wrong" I didn't mean that the rules and regulations had necessarily been misinterpreted. I mean that if the rules and regulationsn were as has been stated, and didn't allow for a degree of sensible flexibility, they were wrong in the first place. As is very often the case with rules and regulations - in all countries.