Sophia arrived in the UK from Jamaica in 2002 and has lived here ever since. She came to join her husband who had legal status here. Her three children arrived in 2005, aged 10, 7 and 4. After the breakdown of her marriage, Sophia and her children lost their immigration status, while her ex-husband went on to become a British citizen.
As a single parent to three children, Sophia repeatedly tried to regularise their immigration status. The Tribunal subsequently found that it was unreasonable to expect the children to relocate to Jamaica, and the family were granted leave to remain. By this point, the children had spent more of their lives in the United Kingdom than they had in their own country. They had lost all ties to Jamaica, and had made a life for themselves here.

Applicants who get status on this basis are usually given leave to remain for 2.5 years, without access to benefits
They must keep on applying to extend their leave every 2.5 years. In order to do this…