Man granted the right to stay in the UK after almost 50 years under Windrush scheme Windrush scandal

The Home office Has granted a man who has lived in the UK since he was a child, the right to stay under the Windrush schedule after a battle of almost 50 years.

Samuel Jarrett-Coker61, arrived at the age of 13 in the UK in 1976 from Sierra Leone on the diplomatic passport of his brother, who was 20 years older than he and worked in the Land Land Embassy.

He spent almost all his life in the UK and has four British children and seven British grandchildren who live in the UK. He said he feared that he would be homeless and deported because he said that the home office never responded to his repeated requests, dating from the 1980s, to resolve his immigration status.

He decided to make one last attempt to regularize his status and this week received a letter from the home office stating that his right to stay in the VK had been confirmed under the Windrush policy and that he could sign up for the Windrush Compensation Scheme for any losses because of his legal status in the UK.

He recently received a warning from the Housing Association that runs his house in the West LondonSaying his accommodation was in danger because he could not prove his right to rent due to his lack of a passport.

He shared the building with his British partner and the rent was in her name, but she died in 2023 and since then he has not been able to produce documentation that prove his right to rent.

“Originally I got a stamp in my passport from Sierra Leone, but when I sent the passport to the Home Office to be updated, I never got an answer and I never got my passport back, although I wrote several letters about it at the home office asking what happened,” Jarrett-Coker said.

Until he received the letter from the home office that his rights confirmed under the Windrush schedule, he said he had been overwhelmed of fear about his immigration status and had struggled to eat or sleep. “I have paid my taxes and national insurance policies all my life and have been working since the age of 16. I am proud to know that I have contributed to British society. I could not imagine that I had to leave my children and grandchildren.”

“When the home office confirmed that I could stay here this week, I felt delighted. I am almost 62 years old and I am only now able to give my life meaning without feeling trapped in a cage.”

His lawyer, Naga Kandiah of MTC Platicitors, welcomed the news. “For almost 50 years, Samuel has supported the unbearable weight of uncertainty, confronted with the threat of homelessness and deportation and the fear of being torn from his British family. This long -awaited recognition finally gives him safety, stability and dignity that he has been denied for almost five decades.”

The Minister of Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said: “I am determined for the terrible injustice caused by the Windrush scandal. Cases such as Mr Jarrett-Coker show why we should act with urgency to support those affected in receiving the compensation and documentation they rightly earn.

“We continue to help eligible individuals to gain access to our status schedule, so that they can prove their right to be in the UK. This is about repairing dignity for those who have suffered far too long.”