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2 hours ago
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A Windrush man who has lived in the UK since he was a child fears he could be deported to his home country despite spending most of his life here.
Samuel Jarrett-Coker, 61, fears that he is not only at risk of being deported but also made homeless because he says the Home Office never responded to his requests dating back to the 1980s to resolve his immigration status.
He has received a warning from the housing association property where he resides in west London that his accommodation is at risk because he cannot prove his right to rent, due to his lack of a passport.
He shared the property with his British partner and the tenancy was in her name. But she died in 2023 and since then he has not been able to produce documentation proving his right to rent.
Jarrett-Coker first arrived in the UK at the age of 13 in 1976 on the diplomatic passport of his brother, who was 20 years older than him and worked in the Sierra Leone embassy in London.
He attended school and then Willesden College of Technology, where he trained to become an electrician and received a diploma. He went on to work as an electrician until ill health – heart problems and arthritis – forced him to give up work a few years ago.
He has four British children and seven British grandchildren in the UK.
Last month, a member of staff at Peabody, the housing association currently providing his accommodation, sent an email to his lawyer stating: “Failure to obtain photographic identification will result in Mr Jarrett-Coker being unable to succeed his tenancy” and “Mr Jarrett-Coker is at risk of losing his home if we are unable to prove his right to rent.”
Jarrett-Coker told the Guardian he had made repeated attempts to regularise his immigration status but had given up when he received no response to letters he wrote to the Home Office about this dating back to the mid-1980s.
“Originally, I got a stamp in my Sierra Leone passport, but when I sent the passport to the Home Office to be updated I never got any reply and never got my passport back, even though I wrote several letters about it to the Home Office asking what was happening.”
He said he is overwhelmed with anxiety about what will happen to him.
“I only weigh about 10 stone now. I’ve lost about three stone in weight due to all the stress about my immigration status. I can’t eat or sleep. I’ve paid my taxes and national insurance all my life and have been working since the age of 16. I take pride in knowing I have made a contribution to British society.”
He said he regards the UK as his home and no longer has any family or other contacts in Sierra Leone.
“The UK has undeniably become my home. I wish to spend the remainder of my life here in the environment that has become so familiar to me. I should not be treated as an illegal immigrant, after nearly 50 years of uninterrupted residence in the UK. The thought of being forced to return to Sierra Leone is unimaginable. I am truly fearful of what the future holds if I am forced to leave.”
His lawyer, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, has made a Windrush application for him in the hope of resolving matters.
Kandiah said: “Arriving in the UK at the age of 13 he has spent nearly five decades building his life here, establishing deep roots with his children and grandchildren. His family spans three generations yet he remains in limbo due to his unresolved immigration status. Despite living most of his life in the UK he faces constant challenges accessing the right to rent, social benefits and other essential services.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Office is committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those affected receive the support they rightly deserve.
“We continue to support individuals to access and apply for our Status Scheme so they can get the documentation needed to prove their right to be in the United Kingdom.”
