In 2010, Jamil* came from Bangladesh with his mother to visit his uncle and grandmother in the UK. He was 12 years old and his visit visa lasted for six months. Three months into the visit, Jamil’s mother disappeared and made no further contact with him. So Jamil stayed with relatives and enrolled at a local school. His first language is Bengali and he spoke no English.
After about a year, Jamil’s relatives decided they could no longer care for him and the local authority placed him with loving foster parents.
At the point he went into the care system, Jamil came to us. His visit visa had long since expired and he was in the UK without any legal immigration status. We made a successful application to get him permission to stay in the UK on human rights grounds. His permission lasted for two and a half years. He could start to make a life here.
Jamil left secondary school with GCSEs and BTECs. His GCSEs included English Language and English Literature. This is a considerable achievement given that he had arrived in the UK without speaking English. He also took some vocational courses with the Princes Trust. He regularly visited his Bangladeshi aunt, uncle and cousins in the UK and became part of a solid group of friends.
We helped Jamil to renew his permission to stay again but he could not help worrying about his immigration situation. He felt he could not make long-term plans and his feelings of insecurity increased. We were able to reassure him and we successfully renewed his permission to stay twice more.
Jamil has great practical skills. He has a Diploma in construction skills but decided that he wanted to work in the care sector. He now works as a Child and Adult Support Worker and his employer values him enormously. His links with Bangladesh have steadily weakened over the years. He is a handsome, hard-working friendly person who has travelled through adversity which was caused by those who were supposed to care for him.
Last week, his lawyer, Angela Cole, called Jamil and told him that the Home Office has granted him Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, which means he can live permanently in the UK. This country is now his home forever if that is what he wishes. In a year’s time he can apply to be a British Citizen.
When his mother abandoned Jamil, she left him here as an unlawful immigrant. He is now a full member of British society and happy in the knowledge that his life here is secure. Angela and the team here were able to shepherd him through a series of complex immigration applications and we are immensely proud of our work.
Please get in touch with our team if you have any urgent queries about immigration legal services.
(*the name has been changed for privacy purposes)
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