By Ebi Kesiena
A 74-year-old Ghanaian man, Nelson Shardey, who has resided and worked in the United Kingdom for over four decades, was recently shocked to discover that he is not considered a British citizen.
Despite spending his entire adult life in the UK, the UK Home Office informed him that he lacked official citizenship status.
This revelation has significant implications for Shardey, as it means he now faces the burden of high taxes and substantial expenses to access healthcare through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Additionally, he is confronted with the prospect of waiting ten years to obtain permanent residency status, as dictated by the Home Office.
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Shardey’s journey to the UK began in 1977 when he migrated via the study route, compelled by political unrest in Ghana that hindered his family’s ability to support him financially. He engaged in menial jobs to sustain himself, eventually settling in Wallasey, where he established a business called Nelson’s News after marrying a British woman.
Despite living in the UK for 42 years and raising children with his second wife, Shardey was blindsided by the Home Office’s assertion of his non-citizen status recently. Consequently, he was instructed to apply for the 10-year settlement route, typically reserved for individuals seeking employment-based immigration.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Shardey expressed profound dismay at the Home Office’s decision, describing it as punitive and unjust. He emphasized his deep investment in the UK, both personally and professionally, and lamented the financial strain imposed by the citizenship application process.
Meanwhile, there have been instances of individuals successfully obtaining British citizenship after years of pursuit, as evidenced by a recent viral video on TikTok.
