MT signed up at a British army recruitment office in Fiji in 2003 when he was 19. He served for 10 years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. He decided to leave the army after getting married and having his first child so he could spend more time with his family.
“I did my resettlement course – however, at no time during this process did I receive any information that I had to reapply for my visa to remain in the UK,” says the 37-year-old. “I understood that since I was working for the Queen and country and had served more than the minimum four years in the army, I could go through the transition without reapplying for the right to remain.”
He worked for Network Rail for two years after discharge, until his employment agency began to ask people to provide proof of their right to work. A colleague “learned that the exemption stamp that we have in our passports was not being accepted … I was concerned by the rumours that were starting to circulate regarding whether the stamp was sufficient evidence of my right to remain in the UK.”
Unable to afford the £2,389 fee to apply for leave to remain in the UK, he left the company and found a new job, but is currently living in immigration limbo, afraid that he could be accused of working illegally, detained and deported. He is particularly worried that he could be separated from his children.
“I have lived with the perpetual worry of living with an unresolved immigration status due to being ill advised at the time of my discharge and the high level of application fees. The impact on my family would be terrible.
“There are many other Commonwealth veterans that I know who have not submitted an application for indefinite leave to remain after being discharged from the army, also because they were not properly advised by HM Forces of the need to make an application. Most of them have been ignorant, like me at first, about their immigration status and have also faced hardship and suffered fear and insecurity as I have.
“I served 10 years with HM Forces before leaving the army. I don’t feel it is fair that we sacrifice so much in order to serve for this country, but we do not have automatic right to remain here without restrictions after our years of loyal service. I believe this is a grave injustice to Commonwealth veterans that needs to be put right.”
