UK Wrongly Tells Nigerian Pensioner to Seek Treatment in India

The United Kingdom Home Office has wrongly told a 67-year-old blind Nigerian pensioner who has lived in Britain for 26 years that she could seek medical treatment in India, a country she says she has never visited.

The Guardian, which reported the development on Saturday, said the department was taking corrective action to issue her an updated letter after its refusal of her application for indefinite leave to remain contained the erroneous reference to India.

The woman, identified as Comfort to protect her identity, said she had no connection with India and was confused by the reference in the letter.

According to the newspaper, Comfort arrived in the UK in 2000 and lost her sight shortly afterwards after developing acute glaucoma.

She was granted permission to remain in Britain in 2022 under the long-residence immigration route after spending more than two decades in the country.

Under the arrangement, migrants are required to renew their visas every 30 months for 10 years before becoming eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

However, following new settlement rules announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Comfort could be required to continue renewing her visa for another 20 years before qualifying for permanent residency.

Concerned about her age and disability, lawyers representing her through Migrant and Refugee Justice approached the Home Office, seeking exceptional consideration that would allow her to obtain indefinite leave to remain without waiting for the additional period.

The application was rejected, with the Home Office initially stating in its letter that she could return to Nigeria, where services for blind people were available.

However, the letter subsequently referred to India, stating, “Your circumstances are not so severe or lacking in potential treatment in India that it would warrant indefinite leave to remain in this case.”

Reacting to the error, Comfort told The Guardian that she had never visited India.

“I don’t know why the Home Office said I could go back to India. It’s a country I have never visited and have no connection with,” she said.

She also expressed concern that the new settlement requirements could leave her waiting until her 80s before securing indefinite leave to remain.

“In 2022, I got my permission to stay here based on long residence in the UK. I’m very disheartened that I may now need to wait nearly 20 years to get indefinite leave to remain,” she said.

Comfort said she had established her life in Britain, where she had friends, attended church and participated in voluntary activities.

“I have been living in this country for 26 years. I have found my home here and settled well. I have my friends, my church and do voluntary work.

“I’m a good citizen, not a law-breaker and am begging the Home Office to have mercy on me and grant me indefinite leave to remain now, rather than making me wait 20 more years,” she added.

The head of campaigning at Migrant and Refugee Justice, Nick Beales, who is supporting her case, questioned the need to make the pensioner continue renewing her visa despite her lengthy residence in Britain.

“This woman is blind, in her late 60s and has lived in the UK for a quarter of a century. She meets the rules to remain here and there is no public interest in making her continue to renew her visa,” he said.

Beales also criticised the proposed settlement changes, arguing that they could make it more difficult for elderly migrants to secure permanent residency.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that data obtained through a freedom of information request by Migrant and Refugee Justice showed that some elderly migrants could struggle to meet the revised settlement requirements within their lifetimes.

The organisation cited the case of a 103-year-old Pakistani woman who, under the new requirements, would not qualify for settlement until she was 123.

Following the report, Home Office sources told The Guardian that corrective action was being taken to issue Comfort an updated letter.

A Home Office spokesperson said the department did not routinely comment on individual cases but maintained that applications for permission to remain in Britain were considered on their individual merits.

“We do not routinely comment on individual cases. All applications for permission to stay in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits, in line with the immigration rules and based on the information and evidence provided by the applicant.”