In August last year, 28-year-old Afghanistan doctor Hadisa Osmani moved to Stratford as an asylum-seeker. One year later, she’s working in London and taking steps to becoming a qualified NHS doctor – and she dreams of one day returning to Stratford to work.
Having graduated in 2022, Hadisa spent several years working in a hospital in Saripul, northern Afghanistan. But political situation in her home country, as well as the difficulties women face when trying to get an education, forced Hadisa into leaving and seeking asylum in the UK – a country she had dreamed of visiting to study for a masters degree.
Doctor from Afganistan. Photo: Mark Williamson
After spending around four months living at the Grosvenor Hotel in Stratford, Hadisa moved to London in December 2025 with the aim of working in the NHS.
Whilst her search for a full-time role in the health service is ongoing, Hadisa is employed as a teaching assistant, improving her English and applying for volunteering roles within the NHS.
More than nine months since first sitting down with the Herald, Hadisa provided an update on her situation, what the move out of Stratford was like and her message to asylum- seekers and refugees who are in a position she once was.
“Stratford was the beginning point for me in the UK,” Hadisa said. “I arrived at a very uncertain point in my life and from there I learned how to navigate daily life in this country.
“Stratford gave me a real experience of British community life, which is very worthy for when I was in asylum. The town was very peaceful, clean and tidy with warm and friendly people that I will always remember and I am grateful for the experience.”
Stratford had such a lasting impact on Hadisa that she said it would be a dream to return one day.
“I always have a dream that when I obtain my full registration, I want to work as a doctor in Warwickshire, hopefully even in Stratford.”
In order to qualify for a role in the NHS, Hadisa must complete the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) two-tier test carried out by doctors who qualified abroad to make sure they have the knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK.
“Although my English is not bad and I can handle daily conversations, the medical field requires a very high level of English which needs more time to study,” said Hadisa.
The busy streets of London are a far cry from Stratford, but Hadisa is proud of where her UK journey started. “I’m happy that I started from Stratford because I met so many people from different backgrounds in the hotel,” she said. “I also met so many people from Stratford who helped me and made me feel so welcome.”
Hadisa was told the Grosvenor had closed to asylum-seekers by a friend who she met at the hotel.
“The hotel was a place where we were together, we were meeting people and people were working volunteer roles in the hotel to come and teach us English. They put some effort in to help us not feel homesick and I appreciate that.
“I hope that whatever accommodation they are giving to people that they will be treated with dignity and respect, because it’s very important and this is the thing that I experienced in the hotel – I was treated with dignity.”
She added: “I started my life in the UK as an asylum seeker and now I’m a refugee, and I know that building a career in medicine is very tough and needs a lot of hard work and dedication – medicine has been a part of my identity and I have to work on that to regain it.”
Having gone through the stress and fear of the asylum seeker process, Hadisa shared some words for those who are in a similar position.
“The British community offers you opportunities if you want to work and build your life in a positive way,” she said. “ It is, however, up to you to use those opportunities, you have to be positive to yourself and you have to start integrating with the community in a positive way.
“Every refugee that migrates has a very difficult journey, but by working hard and having dedication and patience, we can achieve the things we want.”