Home Office seeks appeal to deport Kosovan woman convicted of 29 offences
The Home Office is seeking permission to challenge a ruling that allowed Barbara Osmanovic, a 40-year-old Kosovan woman, to remain in Britain. The case matters because the Government says it wants to remove foreign criminals, while the tribunal found that deporting Osmanovic would be unduly harsh under human rights law.
Osmanovic arrived in the UK as a child in 2000 and has been convicted 13 times for 29 offences. Her record includes theft and fraud targeting vulnerable people, attempted burglary and possessing a knife; she was jailed for two and a half years in 2023. The tribunal cited her lack of Albanian, support networks and access to documentation, as well as concerns about homelessness, health care and her ability to settle in Kosovo. The Home Office says returns of illegal migrants and foreign criminals rose by 52 per cent in the two years to 30 June 2026.
In short
- The Home Office is appealing a ruling allowing Osmanovic to remain in the UK.
- She has 29 convictions across 13 cases.
- The tribunal cited hardship and integration concerns in Kosovo.
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The case for
The Government can argue that repeated convictions, including offences against vulnerable people and a prison sentence, make deportation a legitimate way to protect the public and uphold confidence in immigration rules. It may also argue that the seriousness of the offending warrants testing whether the tribunal applied the human rights law correctly, while an appeal would allow that question to be examined through the courts.
The case against
The tribunal can argue that deportation would impose unusually severe hardship because Osmanovic arrived as a child, lacks Albanian and practical support in Kosovo, and may struggle to secure documents, housing and health care. Human rights protections require attention to a person’s circumstances as well as their criminal record, and the tribunal’s ruling reflects the view that removal in this case would cross that threshold.
Explained simply
Barbara Osmanovic came to Britain from Kosovo as a child in 2000. She has been convicted 13 times of 29 offences, including theft and fraud against vulnerable people, and was jailed for two and a half years in 2023.
British law allows the Home Office to seek the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes, but human rights protections can affect whether someone may be removed. In Osmanovic’s case, a tribunal considered her ability to live in Kosovo, including her lack of Albanian, support networks and documents, and concerns about housing and healthcare.
The case sits within the Government’s policy of removing foreign criminals, alongside legal decisions about the circumstances people would face if returned. Deportation decisions can therefore involve both a person’s criminal record and their individual situation in the country they may be sent to.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Kosovan serial criminal who judge deemed ‘too culturally and socially integrated’ in Britain to be deported could still be returned”.