Heartless Home Office decision

[ApocalypseSlough]

A Nigerian man with the right to work and live in London has had his brother's visa to visit and donate bone marrow refused, even though the sick man's employer has guaranteed his stay/ will pay for flights.
Details here
Apparently it's been picked up by the Standard and Mirror, please comment to show your support. I'll post links (unless the consensus is that he shouldn't come in which case I won't!)!

[SquirmOfEels]

This is an absolute disgrace - the reason for travel has been totally overlooked, as has the value of the guarantee (a school which would stand to be stripped of its right to sponsor international boarders, so stands to lose more than money if this was anything other than what it says on the tin).

But what can be done?

[BYOSnowman]

Agree with Squirm. Is there a petition?

[ApocalypseSlough]

Here is the Standard link.

[ApocalypseSlough]

DailyMail please comment and share via Facebook.

[ApocalypseSlough]

If you're local its worth writing to the MP Helen Hayes. She's already fighting on his behalf.

[scarlets]

I really hope the publicity yields a good result for the family.

[ApocalypseSlough]

There is a petition Here
Tia

[SquirmOfEels]

Is this an issue where a petition is likely to produce the required outcome?

Are there any other MPs involved? And is there any way to bang Health and Home Secretaries heads together?

[ApocalypseSlough]

I'm hopeful Squirm
Helen Hayes is the local MP hence petitioning her.

[ApocalypseSlough]

Sorry the local MP so worth her constituents writing to her.
There's a link to the home office on the local website- I'll go look...

[ApocalypseSlough]

And for those who are minded to take direct action, here are the contact details for the James Brokenshire, the Immigration Minister's office [taken from his website]:

Immigration enquiries
020 7035 4848
Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
[email protected]

[mathsmum314]

Bit confused as to why this is an issue? Both men are Nigerian, so why doesn't he have the bone marrow treatment in Nigeria? Problem solved. Is it wrong for me to think the NHS should not be an international health service, isn't it stretched enough as it is!

[DoinItFine]

As someone who lives and works in London, he has the same right to use the NHS as most Londoners.

[ApocalypseSlough]

Apparently the bone marrow service in Nigeria is very much in its infancy and his brother have to go to South Africa. I think Isaac is too ill to travel.
I don't know Isaac's immigration status but I'd be amazed if he wasn't 100% entitled to NHS care. The college would have checked on employment and certainly wouldn't be lobbying on his behalf if not.

[mathsmum314]

But you can see the concern, another Nigerian is allowed to come to the UK then demands his daughter, ailing mother and extended family are allowed to join him. Next thing you know the ECHR declares he cant be deported because he has a right to a family life.

All the while the NHS can't struggles to treat all the British people, never mind everyone from the rest of the world.

[DoinItFine]

The NHS is not for treating British people.

It is for treating people who livevin the UK.

Such as this man.

A person coming for a short time to donate bone marrow wpuld not get any right to stay under the ECHR.

That is a ridiculous thing to suggest.

[mathsmum314]

Treatment on the NHS is given based on, amongst other things, value for money, risk etc. Importing people from Nigeria, (or other 3rd world countries) to give transplants is a whole barrel of worms not to be opened lightly. There is a risk of it becoming a route for immigrants, but also for living organ donors to be trafficked. I think there is a lot more implications to this.

[Alyosha]

Interesting, mathsmum. if a donor was identified for a British child through the world wide Bone marrow registry, and they lived in Nigeria, would you also oppose them coming? Can sick people in Britain only get help if their donor lives in the EU, or other countries with which we have visa free regimes?

[JassyRadlett]

All the while the NHS can't struggles to treat all the British people, never mind everyone from the rest of the world

You forgot the bit at the end of your sentence that reads 'who pay into the system disproportionately more and use the NHS disproportionately less than British people'. Watch out for who is subsidising you, it might get a lot less soon. Good luck with that.

How grim that you are happy to let someone legally resident in this country die because the person who could save his life is 'from a third world country' and you think they are using his brother's illness to move his whole family here.

[SquirmOfEels]

"But you can see the concern, another Nigerian is allowed to come to the UK then demands his daughter, ailing mother and extended family are allowed to join him. Next thing you know the ECHR declares he cant be deported because he has a right to a family life. "

You really think he's lying about purpose of travel, and that the guarantor (a partly boarding school which is authorised by UKBA to sponsor educational visas) is untrustworthy?

[AugustaFinkNottle]

But you can see the concern, another Nigerian is allowed to come to the UK then demands his daughter, ailing mother and extended family are allowed to join him. Next thing you know the ECHR declares he cant be deported because he has a right to a family life.

This is utter nonsense. Someone coming to the UK on a limited visa for this purpose would have no rights of residence under UK or EU law, and would have no right either to settle here or to have his family join him.

This is typical uniformed Daily Mail type scaremongering. You really need to stop reading the Mail (or indeed the Express or the Sun), mathsmum: surely you know by now that they lie constantly about immigration?

[Gruffalosgrandma]

Shame on you Mathsmum. Would you really make the decision to let a man die rather than allow his brother to save him ..... At no cost to anyone I must add.

[Iflyaway]

another Nigerian is allowed to come to the UK then demands his daughter, ailing mother and extended family are allowed to join him. Next thing you know the ECHR declares he cant be deported because he has a right to a family life.

Yep. Another Brexiter and racist

Good luck with your own fascist country coming up soon....

[mathsmum314]

Gruffalosgrandma, I was trying to make a reasonable point, shame on you for descending to the lowest common denominator. Have you ever had a relative die because they couldn't have a drug on the NHS that they couldn't afford? I have.

The NHS is not free, every drug and operation is increased cost to us all.

Until you give every penny you have to starving children in Syria then its hypocritical to say I am suggesting letting someone die.

This is not a British national and we do not have a moral responsibility to treat everyone in the world.

[ApocalypseSlough]

This is not a British national and we do not have a moral responsibility to treat everyone in the world.
I disagree. Logistically we can't treat everyone in the world, but where we can and its practical, like mosquito nets and Retrovirals and vaccination programmes I think we do have a moral responsibility. In this case where there's a guarantor I can't get worked up about the possible precedent and costs to the NHS.