With the UK Government increasingly clamping down on migrants, evidenced by the recent Rwanda flight plan, one woman has spoken out about her struggles while waiting to receive legal status and how it impacted her life. Ruby*, who has chosen not to be named, says she is disappointed with the Government’s new plans as many people like her come to the UK for help.
The 28-year-old came to London in 2008 when she was just 15 and ended up living with a foster family. Although the family was welcoming, Ruby struggled with shaping her future as her life was on hold and she did not know anyone.
Speaking to MyLondon as part of Refugee Week, Ruby said: “I lived in North London then East London but moved around a lot because of the process, they put me in foster care as I was underage and a minor. It was a difficult time as I didn’t know what foster care meant or what goes on. I didn’t know the language and the country so it was difficult for me.
READ MORE: ‘Racists told us to go back to Africa, now with the Rwanda plan it’s a reality’
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“I lived with a foster family who were nice – some people were welcoming and some people were not. It was all new for me. I applied for asylum when I had arrived but my asylum was refused the first time and I was given a one and a half year visa because I was a minor.
“After that I applied again to the Home Office and it was refused again. That time when it was refused they sent me to report to the Home Office every two weeks.
“I didn’t give up, I appealed the Home Office decision to deny me asylum, and eventually in 2020 I was granted refugee status. Overall it took nearly 13 years to get asylum. Throughout this time, I had been reporting to the Home Office every two weeks for eight years.”
Ruby’s situation was like many others’ – according to migrant charity Praxis, people who have their application pending or have been refused asylum on application can be asked to report to the Home Office. This means they have to go to the office and sign documents to report they are still in the UK and have not left.
Laura Stahnke from Praxis said: “Sometimes people go and sign and are able to come back, but sometimes they go and can be detained so it’s incredibly stressful if you have insecure status”
Ruby says reporting in every two weeks was very stressful and scary, although there are specific reasons people are taken to detention centres, she feared it could be random at times. In those years Ruby also had to rely on the charity Praxis after her case was closed by the social services.
After the age of 25, Ruby says: “They suddenly closed my case as I was above 25. So I came and I found Praxis who helped me to find a new place to move into and luckily the lady was really nice and let me stay in her house and had a spare room. When social services closed my case I came to Praxis as I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know where to go, Praxis gave me hope, there was a way forward, they supported me.
“Advisors also said I should apply to ask the Home Office for accommodation but they only had the option to move me outside of London, to Manchester, where I had never been. I didn’t accept the accommodation in Manchester and luckily the host let me stay in her house.”
Ruby finally received status in 2020, nearly 13 years since she arrived in the UK. Although it was a relief, she felt that a lot of time had been wasted. “I felt half of my life was wasted by not going to college, I didn’t live properly by that age, I was living as a young person with an old mind.
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“The Government should not take this long to make a decision for young people because all that time that you have been waiting for a decision, you can study, volunteer, get skills for future life. I want them to instead of making people wait for status, give them an opportunity to learn and get skills until they receive their decision. Things have changed now so I can go back to my studies and and help other migrants.”
Speaking about the Rwanda plan, where the UK Government signed a £120 million economic deal with the Rwandan Government to send migrants to the African country and apply for asylum there, Ruby says she is against it. She said: “In my situation, if I had been fleeing my home country and come to Europe or the UK to seek safety and ask for help, it’s unlawful to close the door on us and deport us to another country.”
*Names have been changed.
MyLondon has attempted to contact the Home Office for comment, however they stated they are not able to comment in the circumstances.
Now that you’re here – let me introduce myself.
I am the Race and Diversity Correspondent for MyLondon, and I enjoy writing about stories to do with ethnic minorities.
The stories I’m most proud of are ones where I can get an insight into the experiences of individuals, such as this powerful independent woman who fled Eritrea and ended up opening her own salon in Brixton.
I also love supporting ethnic minority owned businesses and finding out about owners’ own experiences and inspirations behind their menus, for example the story of this Chinese bakery.
My own interests and experiences also weave into my stories so that readers can get an insight into my South Asian heritage, as you can see from this story about Karak Chai which I’m ever so passionate about!
Although I was born and raised in London, I would say I’m very connected to my own culture as a British Pakistani who is fluent in Urdu.
This year I became a finalist for the British Muslim Awards in the Media Achiever of the Year category – and I hope to make a difference every single year with my work.
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