Image: Dave Crosby/Flickr, CC 2.0.
The Windrush scandal has yet to subside but another set of similar injustices are already piling up in Sajid Javid's inbox.
Let us take the example of Owais Raja, from Pakistan. Owais trained British engineers from the Ministry of Defence at Davenport Dockyard in Plymouth, for eight years. His profession is on the government’s “shortage occupation” list. Because of a minor tax amendment on his tax return of 2012-13, which was settled with the HMRC, his application for ILR in 2016 was turned down under on the grounds that his character is “a threat to national security”. Owais’ right to work, his right to rent and to receive treatment under the NHS was removed in 2016. He was forced to withdraw his son and wife from life-saving NHS treatment because he could not afford to pay for the treatment despite paying taxes and NI during his employment. He has spent £20,000 on Home Office fees and legal advice.
