For far too long, people who move here have been seen by our politicians at best as numbers, at worst as not deserving of just and humane treatment. They have created a system where having the right immigration status can be a matter of life or death.
As we celebrate Refugee Week, we call on leaders to do much better. It is time that newcomers were treated as we all wish and deserve to be – with dignity, respect and compassion.
Ade (not his real name), our client, is a 35 year old man from Nigeria. He left after suffering years of abuse and discrimination, after he went blind as a child. This spring brought welcome news of refugee status after an 8 year fight, living on £35 a week, in one room, and barred from working. “Finally, I don’t have to be scared about my status any more.”
He arrived in the UK in 2011, when his sister, a British citizen, arranged for him to come to the UK. It was not safe for him in Nigeria – he had been blamed for family …