Man Told He Is Not British After Living in UK for 42 Years
- The UK Home Office has told an elderly Ghanaian man that he is not recognised as a British citizen after living in the country for 42 years
- The man, Nelson Shardey, has been asked to apply for the 10-year route to settlement, purposely designed for people who want to move to the UK for work
- Mr Shardey reportedly moved to the UK in 1977 to study, where he later settled, married and established a business
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A 74-year-old man, Nelson Shardey, who lived and worked in the United Kingdom for over four decades, is shocked to learn that he is not a British citizen.
This was after he was told by the UK Home Office that he had no right to be in the country because he was not officially recognised as a citizen, despite living there all his adult life.
Source: UGC
Not being British means Nelson Shardey now would have to grapple with payment of high taxes and footing thousands of pounds to stay on the UK's NHS.
It also means that the 74-year-old man would have to wait 10 years to stay in the UK permanently, according to the Home Office.
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Shardey moved to the UK via study route
Mr Shardey reportedly moved to the UK in 1977 via the study route and had to resort to menial jobs to fend for himself abroad due to his parent's inability to support him because of a coup that occurred in Ghana around that time.
Having successfully settled in the UK, Mr Shardey married a British woman and relocated to Wallasey to start a business, Nelson's News.
His first marriage, however, did not last long, forcing him to marry another British woman with whom he has sons, Jacob and Aaron.
He has lived in the country for 42 years on the assumption that he is a UK citizen, only to learn otherwise in 2019.
Consequently, the Home Office has asked him to apply for the 10-year route to settlement, designed for people who want to move to the UK for work.
Mr Shardey, in a recent interview with the BBC, expressed shock at the news from the Home Office concerning his citizenship.
“I cannot afford to pay any part of the money they are asking. 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 at all, because I put my life, my whole self into this country,” he said.
Nigerian man becomes a Ghanaian citizen
Meanwhile, a Nigerian man was happy to have become a citizen of Ghana, and the moment was captured in a viral video.
In the clip, the man was seen waving the Ghanaian flag happily in the presence of many people, including his wife.
The man is married to a Ghanaian lady, so it is a win-win for him to have become a citizen of the Gold Coast.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Nkem Ikeke (Copy editor) Nkem Ikeke is currently a copy editor who also writes for the politics and current affairs desk on weekends. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2010), and has over 10 years of work experience in the media industry (Reporter, News Agency of Nigeria). Email: n.ikeke@corp.legit.ng
Israel Usulor (Human-Interest editor) Israel Usulor is a journalist who has 9 years of experience. He worked at The Prime Newspaper and has published articles in TheCable Newspaper. Israel graduated with distinction from Fidei Polytechnic (Mass Commun, 2016). Israel has interviewed Zannah Mustapha, the man who helped negotiate the release of Chibok Girls, and Kunle Adeyanju, who rode a bike from London to Lagos. He covered exclusive stories on Chef Dami during her Guinness World Records cookathon. Email: israel.usulor@corp.legit.ng.
