Strangers into Citizens

Abdul

My story is similar to that of other illegal immigrants. On 1st Oct 2000 I came here from Pakistan as a teenage dependent of my parents to visit my dad’s dying brother, my uncle. The entry clearance requirement was waived by the Home Office because of the compelling circumstances of our case.

I don’t mean to discuss immigration policy issues here but it was made clear by the secretary of state that the entry clearance should ONLY be waived if there is enough evidence that the applicant can meet the immigration rules. Nevertheless, when Dad applied for the categories of person of independent means and a businessperson both of them were refused. This process took 4 years, and I had completed my A-levels by that time. I had to pay international student fees for my A-levels in college and was planning to go university as an international student.

Our solicitor then advised us to apply for the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) but the HSMP did not consider my father's self-employment experience to be a "graduate level" experience, even though my father was involved in the mass distribution of food products throughout Pakistan and had agency agreements with 4 reputed dairies in EU. Now, I believe that any business that involves cross-border transactions and the import of hundreds of tonnes of dairy products surely qualifies as a graduate level business experience.

Now it's been over six years, our solicitor made applications for us to stay in this country under Article 8, family and private life. The case is still pending and I don’t think there will be a better outcome, even though we have established both family and private life.

More importantly, I graduated last year in De Montfort University, Leicester with a 2:1. The Home Office encourages IT students who graduate from British universities and have a category called Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (SEGS) to plug skill gaps in this economy. Even though I am fully eligible in this category I would not be granted a visa because of my immigration status in the UK.

When I arrived here over six years ago I was a minor (under 18) so I always wonder why have I been victimised for the decisions that were made on my behalf. We have been fully represented by a solicitor and have always made representations to legalise our stay.

In 2003 the Home Office regularised several thousand asylum-seeking families who arrived before 2nd Oct 2000, and recently some newspapers claimed that most of those asylum claims were unfounded. My family arrived on 1st Oct 2000 but we did not choose to abuse the system by claiming asylum. Therefore, despite our solicitor’s efforts, the Home Office did not regularise my family.

One last but very important point is raised by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) in their response to the launch of the Migration Advisory Commission (MAC). JCWI argues that whilst the MAC will attempt to identify the skill gaps in British economy, they will ignore the irregular population with appropriate skills. Instead of accepting more immigrants into British society, the Home Office could use the skills of the irregular population. As mentioned earlier I am fully eligible for the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme, which also attempts to fill skill gaps, so in my view my case is a living example of what JCWI argues.

That's my story. I have seen immigrants living in worse conditions than me, some living on £150 a week and some paid £2 an hour in Leicester. I will not complain about the depression I suffer from or the amount of stress I am under, but I will be relieved and free when this nightmare is over. My father has spent thousands of pounds on my academic expenses and on our accommodation, but we have chosen not to break immigration laws by taking up illegal work or by just disappearing in the UK.