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Home Office cites India in refusal of blind Nigerian woman’s settlement bid
Comfort, a 67-year-old blind Nigerian woman who has lived in the UK for 26 years, was refused an early grant of indefinite leave to remain. The Home Office’s refusal letter referred to her returning to Nigeria, then said her circumstances did not justify settlement because treatment was available in India, a country she says she has never visited.
Under the new settlement rules, Comfort may have to renew her visa for another 20 years before she can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Her lawyers sought an exception because of her age and disability; the Home Office said it was taking corrective action to issue an updated letter. Migrants’ rights groups warn that longer waiting periods could affect older applicants, including a 103-year-old Pakistani woman who, according to disclosed Home Office data, would not qualify until age 123.
In short
- A blind Nigerian pensioner was told she could return to India, which she has never visited.
- New rules may leave her renewing her visa for 20 more years.
- The Home Office says it is correcting the refusal letter.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Home Office can argue that settlement rules need consistent criteria, and that long residence, age or disability should not automatically override them. If suitable care is available in a person’s country of return, officials may consider that when deciding whether an exception is justified, while correcting any factual errors in the refusal letter.
The case against
Comfort’s case raises concerns that rigid waiting periods can make settlement unattainable for older people, even after decades of lawful residence, and may fail to account for disability and personal circumstances. Referring to treatment in a country she has never visited also calls into question whether her case was assessed carefully and individually.
Explained simply
Indefinite leave to remain allows someone to live in the UK without time limits and is often called settlement. People who do not qualify may need to keep renewing their visas, which can involve repeated applications and costs.
The Home Office is the UK government department responsible for immigration decisions. Settlement rules set out how long people usually need to live in the country before applying, while allowing officials to consider exceptions in some cases.
Age and disability can shape how long a person may realistically have to wait under those rules. The issue matters to older migrants and people seeking exceptions because a long qualifying period may extend beyond their lifetime.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “UK tells blind Nigerian pensioner to go home to India”.