Nelson Shardey, a 74-year-old Ghanaian retiree who has lived in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, is facing a bureaucratic nightmare as he awaits permanent residency approval from the Home Office.
Despite having lived, worked, and contributed to British society for most of his adult life, Shardey has been informed that he must endure a ten-year process before securing his status.
He entered the UK in 1977 on a student visa to study Accountancy, after which He integrated into British life, twice marrying two British women and raising two sons. After many years of working, he ran his own newsagent business called Nelson’s News and even received accolades for bravery for once confronting a robber who attacked a delivery man.
However, Shardey’s life changed in 2019 when he applied for a passport to attend his mother’s funeral in Ghana. To his shock, he discovered that the authorities did not consider him British. Despite living unquestioned for decades, he was informed that he had no right to remain in the country he had called home for decades.
“Nobody questioned me. I bought all my things on credit, even the house. I got a mortgage. And nobody questioned me about anything,” he said.
“Telling me to go through that route is a punishment, and it’s not fair in any way.”
“I don’t understand why this fuss is because I put my life, my whole self, into this country. ” He lamented.
His son Jacob, a research scientist, said he felt it was all a joke.” I just thought it was a joke. It’s just ridiculous. He’s been here longer than the people working in the Home Office on his case have been alive,” he said.
In a bid for justice, Shardey is taking legal action against the Home Office which has not made any comments because of the ongoing legal proceedings.