Nelson Shardey, a 74-year-old Ghanaian who has lived in the UK since 1977, is suing the UK Home Office after being denied permanent residency despite his 42-year stay.
Shardey arrived in the UK on a student visa to study accountancy and believed he was officially British, only discovering otherwise in 2019.
Despite paying taxes throughout his life and contributing to society, he now faces the possibility of having to wait another 10 years for permanent residency, the BBC reports.
Shardey, who never left the UK, said, “I have never left the UK as I saw no need to and regarded it as my home. Nobody questioned me. I bought all my things on credit, even the house. I got a mortgage. And nobody questioned me about anything.”
After working various jobs and integrating into UK society, Shardey’s troubles began when he applied for a passport in 2019 to visit Ghana following his mother’s death.
The Home Office informed him he was not British and had no right to stay in the UK.
Facing over £17,000 in costs for staying in the UK and accessing the NHS over the next decade, Shardey, who is recovering from prostate cancer, said, “I cannot afford to pay any part of the money they are asking.
Telling me to go through that route is a punishment, and it’s not fair in any way. I don’t understand why this fuss at all, because I put my life, my whole self into this country.”
Shardey’s situation worsened when he mistakenly filled out the wrong form while trying to extend his right to stay two years ago, restarting the 10-year process in 2023.
Consequently, he will not be eligible for permanent residency until he is 84.
Nicola Burgess, a lawyer at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, is now representing Shardey in his legal battle against the Home Office.
The Home Office declined to comment on the case.
Shardey has been an active member of the community, having performed jury service and receiving a police award for bravery in 2007 after tackling a robber.
He has two sons, Jacob and Aaron, with a British woman after his first marriage, also to a Briton, ended.
