Nelson Shardey, a retired Ghanaian shopkeeper, can now stay in the UK for good. The Home Office has granted him permanent residency after nearly 50 years of living in Britain.
Shardey arrived in Britain as a student in 1977. In 2019, he was told he had no right to live in the UK. Now, at 74, he has been granted indefinite leave to remain after his case was recognized as “exceptional.”
His family plans to donate more than £48,000 raised for his legal fight to charity.
Shardey came to the UK on a student visa. However, a coup in Ghana left his family unable to pay his fees. He took on various jobs, including making Mother’s Pride bread and working at Kipling’s Cakes and Bendick’s Chocolate.
No one questioned his right to live or work in the UK. He married a British woman and moved to Wallasey to run his own business, a newsagent called Nelson’s News. After his first marriage ended, he married another British woman, and they had two sons, Jacob and Aaron.
Shardey considered the UK his home and never left the country. In 2019, after his mother passed away, he applied for a passport to go to Ghana, only to find out that he was not a British citizen.
The officials advised him to apply for the 10-year route to settlement, which would cost around £7,000, and an additional £10,500 for NHS access during the same period.
Shardey argued that his long residence in the UK, bravery award, and community service made his case exceptional. The Home Office used its discretion under the Immigration Act to grant him indefinite leave to remain and waived the application fee.
“I am overwhelmed, very happy, and relieved,” Shardey said. “Thank you to everyone who supported us.”
Shardey hopes that his victory will lead to the abolition or shortening of the 10-year route to settlement, calling it inhumane. Shardey’s lawyer, Nicola Burgess, praised his bravery and called for a simplified immigration system. She warned that many more people like Shardey are being forced into an endless cycle of applications and fees.
Shardey’s sons, Aaron and Jacob, expressed their gratitude, saying, “This victory means the absolute world to us.” The family plans to donate the money raised to The Boaz Trust, Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, and Wirral Foodbank.
A Home Office spokesperson apologized for any distress caused and confirmed that officials were working to process Shardey’s application for indefinite leave to remain. Shardey’s story highlights the challenges faced by long-term residents navigating the UK’s complex immigration system. His victory is a testament to resilience and community support.
Source: Ghana Web
