Coronavirus: Thousands could be forced to leave UK

Thousands of people in the UK could be forced to leave the country within weeks because their visas are set to expire before the end of May.

The Home Office said on 24 March that anyone whose leave had expired or was due to expire between 24 January and 31 May, and who could not leave the UK because of Covid-19, would have their visas extended to the end of May. There has since been no update on this guidance.

Immigration lawyer Harjap Bhangal said: “Many people have had deadlines which have passed or are approaching in the immediate future. The Home Office has failed to provide a concession or any sort of clear guidance for people in this situation.

“If they apply without a test they run the risk of refusal or even having their route changed from five years to 10 years. If refused, they potentially face a financial loss of around £2,000 to £3,000, the risk of becoming overstayers and hence ‘illegal’ and will no doubt lose their jobs and possibly also face removal action and hence be potentially split up from their families.”

Mr Bhangal warned that a Windrush-style issue could emerge, adding: “The Home Office tends to wait for a problem or scandal to occur and then try to solve it as opposed to try and prevent foreseeable problems in the first place.

“We have seen this with the recent Windrush scandal, which could have been prevented if the Home Office had been proactive and more willing to just talk to the victims before issuing removal and deportation notices. We could potentially face a similar situation here where people begin to get refused or become fearful to apply due to the Home Office’s failure to foresee this problem.”

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/