Immigrant told to raise English son in Sri Lanka

by Stewart Payne

A Sri Lankan who entered Britain illegally at the age of 15, has been told that he is likely to be deported and will have to take his English wife and baby son with him - or otherwise run the risk of not being allowed back to see them. Mohammed Samad fled violence in his home country seven years ago.

He has since married, has a 17-month-old son, plays cricket for his local team and works as a groundsman for an independent boarding school. Now, at the age of 22, he has been told by the Home Office that he will probably be deported - with no guarantee that he would be able to return to see his family - after his appeal for asylum was refused.

A letter from the International Organisation for Migration informed him: "Whilst your child's material quality of life in Sri Lanka may not be the same standard as it would be in the UK, this does not give rise to any right to stay in the UK."

He must report to the UK Immigration Service on Monday and may be detained, pending his deportation. He and his wife, Sarah, 20, must now decide whether to move to Sri Lanka, taking their son Oscar, or face long-term separation. His wife said they were now pinning their hopes on a final appeal.

"We have been left distraught and now we have an anxious wait to see what will happen," she said."Apparently, Mohammed does not fulfil the right criteria, despite being a hard-working husband and father who pays taxes. "They say we could go and live in Sri Lanka, but what would we do there? I don't speak the language and would have to leave my whole family behind. How would that be good for our son?

"If Mohammed is deported and I stay here, I shall have to draw benefits. I don't see the logic. Those who make these decisions should come and meet us, and others in our situation, and realise we are real people."

Mr. Samad fled Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, with his cousin after being beaten and interrogated. He left with just the clothes he was wearing and has since settled into Sussex life, marrying Sarah in 2002. He works at Hurstpierpoint College and has glowing references from colleagues. He said he did not know whether he would be in danger in Sri Lanka. "It was frightening when I came here, but it is more frightening now, because I don't want to lose my family," he added.

A spokesman from Justice, the human rights organisation, said: "It is the standard line the Home Office takes with people who have been here for a length of time, telling families they have the choice of breaking up or relocating to another country and breaking all their ties here. "In our view, seven years is definitely a point where the Home Office should not be seeking to remove people.

In the past there have been amnesties for people who have lived in this country illegally for that length of time. It is a very sad case."

(Telegraph UK)