Lucas

Lucas is a young Venezuelan with a big smile and a gentle manner. He has been living in the UK for ten years now, first studying English and working part-time, and then working full time. He has done a variety of jobs - as a cleaner, working in a hotel, and teaching Spanish as a freelancer. For the last two years he has worked in a shop, and is well-liked by his colleagues and customers. His employers are not aware of his immigration status. He has a National Insurance number and has paid taxes and national insurance contributions in all of his jobs.

In many ways Lucas' life is much like that of any other young Londoner - he enjoys spending time with his friends, and making the most of London's cultural life. Unlike his friends and colleagues, however, Lucas cannot travel abroad, start a university course or work towards achieving his dream career. Lucas is stuck in the limbo-land of life as a visa overstayer.

Lucas grew up in Caracas, helping his father to run a market stall selling candles and religious souvenirs. After his father's death, he continued to run the stall with his sister. The business did not do very well, however. Maybe it was because they were gradually losing their elderly customers, maybe because people in Venezuela were becoming less religious. They sold the post in the market, and Lucas used his share of the money to travel to Europe.

He arrived in London in 1998. "I came to the UK on a tourist visa" he says, "and then enrolled as an English student for two and a half years". When he tried to renew his visa a third time, however, he was told that he had been in the country for too long. He had to sit go through a long interview, before his visa was approved. "I was warned that I would not be able to extend it again and that it would probably be my last visa as a student."

When Lucas' final student visa expired, he had already been in the country for five years. He decided to stay in the UK illegally, rather than returning to Venezuela. "It isn't an ideal life" he explains "but it was better than starting my life all over again somewhere new."

Lucas has survived as an undocumented worker by working hard and keeping a low profile: "I am very careful, and always try to stay away from trouble". He avoids the authorities as much as possible - he would be very wary of reporting a crime to the police, and does not have a GP. If he were ill he would go to A&E, where he could be treated anonymously.

When asked if he would use false documents he shakes his head, "I don't want to stop being me." He has never claimed any benefits or tax rebates in the ten years he has lived in the UK.

"I consider myself to be contributing to the economy like every other citizen in the UK and like many other people in London who have moved here from other countries. I pride myself on being hard-working and honest and have never had any convictions or any encounters with the law."

On one level Lucas has grown accustomed to his illegal status, and is able to enjoy life in London: "I feel more at ease in London than in any other country I have lived in. I like the fact that London is such a multicultural city, and I like the people here."

The insecurity and fear never really go away, however. "Although I feel integrated in my local community, the fear that I will be caught and deported for not having my papers up to date is always at the back of my mind. I am scared that I will be treated like a criminal if it comes to light that I do not have permission to be here."

Lucas has taken advantage of his excellent English to act as an advocate for those in the same situation as him. "I have sent a few letters to the home office explaining my own case, also sent letters about illegal workers to the 'number 10' website and to newspapers, and I left an article on the BBC's Action Network website." He wants to do all he can to help himself and others. He has not got very far, however:

"Besides not having any rights here, one of the most frustrating aspects of being an irregular worker is not being able to speak and be counted. Also, since everyone who is in the same situation as me is so afraid of being identified and deported it makes it very difficult for us to get together and be heard."

Lucas dreams of having legal status - of being an active citizen, and living a secure and productive life in the UK. If he were given permission to stay in the country, he hopes that one day he could start his own business. In the short term, regularisation would mean that Lucas could travel to Venezuela to see his sister, who he has not seen since he left ten years ago. He would also like to travel to other countries that he has never seen, but Britain is where he wants to be long-term. By way of explanation for this decision he states simply: "Britain is my home."

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