Man told he is not British after 42 years in UK

38 comments

1. Man overstays VISA for decades, faces mild consequences.

2. You don’t just become British if you already have another nationality – it has to be a deliberate choice. About half the countries in the world don’t permit dual citizenship so if we automatically granted citizenship we would be stripping people of other citizenship or putting them in a perilous legal position without their consent.

3. As he has a British spouse, he could have applied to get legal residence in the UK. It seems like he never bothered as he wasn’t aware he had to.

4. For decades Britain has allowed a studied ambiguity around nationality and this Home Office action seems harsh and unfair to make these demands now, even if bureaucratically or legalistically justifiable. Was nothing learned from the Windrush Scandal? If it really is urgent to sort out these cases, it should be done by someone with an ounce of compassion, rather more common sense, and a rubber stamp.

5. > Man didn’t apply for British citizenship in 42 years of being in the U.K.

   Corrected the headline for them.

6. “no one ever queried”, lmao.

   and I have european friends at work that entered post Brexit under skilled worker visa, had their fingerprints taken, had to legalise their study titles, had to proof if crimes were committed, and who have to face deportation risk if they lose their jobs.

   and some other people got a “freebie”? lmao.

7. “Man spends 42 years in Britain without having any form of decent ID” would be a better headline.

8. He was self employed for decades that’s why no one queried it. This situation is no different to what happens in Australia, Canada, America and the EU. It’s a tough pill to swallow but it’s the law.

9. I think the real concern is how is this a thing. How can this guy live here essentially illegally for 42 years without someone noticing. You need 3 forms of ID to do pretty much anything?

10. So, another way to look at this is that 1000s of immigrants do fill in the application to become a citizen, study for and sit the life in the UK test and pay the fees. It’s isn’t fair that this guy is trying to skip all that. 

    Either all immigrants get a free pass to become a citizen or none do

11. Why does the media keep running sob stories like this? One from Sky News a few days ago too.

12. > Come to Britain

    > Don’t do any paperwork to become British

    > Be shocked when you’re told you’re not British

13. Rather than a sob story this is a story about how a person who shouldn’t be here should have been deported many times over the decades.

14. After living in the UK for 16 years as an EU citizen, Home Office told me to leave because I work abroad and that makes me not eligible for settled status. And this guy lived in the UK for 42 years and never though to go through the legalization process and now is surprised he isn’t automatically British? WHAT?

15. Jesus, England really is an island of small minded racists. This man is better than most of the comments.

16. I’m in 2 minds. 42 years as a taxpayer? One of us. Part of the ship, part of the crew.

    Moving to another country when you are in your 30s, when apparently smart enough to study accountancy and run your own business? I find it hard to believe he wasn’t aware of his immigration status or capable of filing paperwork.

    Not leaving the country that you a foreign national have moved to for 42 years? That is a person who knows the exit door is one way for them.

    I don’t trust the journalism on this one though. I think the journalist has written this in a way to be highly divisive. Empathy says to cut the old man some slack. Logic says he knowingly overstayed and actively avoided detection for 40 years.

    However, logic also says that the government failing to detect his presence demonstrates a lack of competence, and I have to put at least some of the blame squarely on them.

    I reckon he earned a passport.

17. The UK is extremely lenient in enforcing any kind of laws. While this man in particular seems to be a good member of society you can’t be sure about any other person staying here illegally. On a separate note, not knowing the law doesn’t excuse you breaking it.

    Edit: he also performed jury duty meaning he registered to vote while not being a citizen, oh my….

18. Ok whilst we agree he didn’t do the paperwork, can we also agree he’s more British than Rishi, as he actually contributed to the UK economy.

19. But he isn’t British, you don’t just become a citizen if you live somewhere you need to get a visa and re-new it, he can’t be that naive that he didn’t see when his student visa was due to expire. Now the tories have made it harder for spouses of British citizens, his wife will need to earn at least 29k per year to sponsor his visa or at least 88,500 pounds in the bank.

20. Im sorry but as an immigrant. It doesn’t matter how long you stay in the UK. You can be a British citizen sure and you can integrate with the culture pretty well but there will always be a difference and that is ok. I have spent decades here. Am I “British” in the sense of god save the king? No I am some bastard hybrid of the two. The one that raised me and the one I have integrated into.

21. If a Brit moves to Japan does that make him Japanese?

22. There has been this really weird trend as seen in this thread of people infantilising immigrants, if someone doesn’t do their part of filling paperwork then it’s their own fault. People should face consequences for their failures.

23. Surely he would have squatters rights to citizenship after being in the country that long

24. Let’s hope that the Home Office applies a modicum of common sense in this case, and recognises that the man has built what appears to be a rather successful life.

    One of the consequences of constantly changing rules is that there are always going to be people who fall between the cracks. Governments should work with these people – not make them jump through what would be a pointless and demeaning hurdle.

25. The picture shows his exact face when they told him.

26. Yes. Living somewhere does not make you from there. Who could have forseen this?

27. So he’s an illegal immigrant that’s only just been caught after 42 years.. okay?

28. So he’s an illegal immigrant that’s only just been caught after 42 years.. okay?

29. More of the performative cruelty that we have come to expect from the Tories.

30. He was Ghanaian and illegally overstaying. Have I missed something? Not a Windrush case in any way.

31. Shit like this happens, when comon sence leaves the room, and home office clerks to afraid to make a decisions.

32. I can understand it when someone who was born in Britain to foreign parents, or someone who moved here as a very young child and then grew up in Britain can be shocked when they realise as an adult that they aren’t British. In those cases it’s their parents’ failure, as they didn’t secure a status for the child.

    However, when a grown up man moves to Britain, does nothing to get British citizenship and then acts shocked when he is not they he is not a citizen I don’t get it.

    If he could return to his home country due to a coup, the correct thing for him to do would be to apply for asylum. Had he done so, he would’ve had his British passport decades ago.

33. Dude’s been in the UK longer than I’ve been alive. I’d say that’s pretty hecking British.

    Maybe not a British citizen technically but yeah, that’s its own thing.

34. Tbh, I was born and raised in Africa, moved to Britain when I was 25. My whole life people told me I was British and not African, because I’m white. My family has been in Africa for >200 years. Naturally, British people (and government) would say I’m not British at all (and rightly so).

    Whilst I think it’s different to the guy in the article, being denied any “nationality” kinda sucks.

35. My Mother came to England from her Native Italy in 1950, married, had 8 kids, paid tax and NI, recieved her state pension and other benefits and was never Naturalised as a British Citizen. She held her Italian passport until her death in 2009.

    Can’t see the issue here really.

36. This is a case where an ounce of compassion and also common sense needs to be applied and just let him have a British passport

37. After 42 years heres more british than half the idiots telling him hes not. Just give him a form to fill in and carry on, absolutely no need for this rage baiting headline from the BBC.

    Maybe report on something that affects us all instead of inciting racial division for a change.

38. All he needs to do is fly to France then get on a small boat cross the channel and volia they will give him food, accomadation and some spending money no questions asked!