Nelson Shardey, a 74-year-old Ghanaian retiree, is challenging the UK Home Office’s decision to deny him permanent residency despite living in the country for 42 years.
Shardey, who arrived in the UK in 1977 on a student visa to study accountancy, has lived and worked in the country for nearly five decades. He assumed he was officially British after paying taxes and contributing to society for most of his adult life.
However, in 2019, when he applied for a passport to visit Ghana following his mother’s death, Shardey discovered he was not considered a British citizen. The Home Office informed him that he would need to wait another 10 years to qualify for permanent residency, citing that he had no right to be in the UK.
Shardey, who has never left the UK since his arrival, said he had no reason to believe he wasn’t a citizen, as he faced no issues with obtaining credit, a mortgage, or any other normal activities. “Nobody questioned me about anything,” he told the BBC.
His work history in the UK includes jobs at Mother’s Pride bread, Kipling’s Cakes near Southampton, and Bendick’s Chocolate in Winchester. Shardey’s situation worsened in 2019 when an error in his residency extension application forced him to restart the 10-year process in 2023, meaning he won’t be eligible for permanent residency until he is 84.
Facing a financial burden of approximately £17,500 over the next decade to maintain his stay and access NHS services, Shardey, who is recovering from prostate cancer, finds the situation unjust. “Telling me to go through that route is a punishment,” he said.
Shardey’s lawyer, Nicola Burgess from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, is now taking legal action against the Home Office. Despite his extensive contributions to the community, including serving on a jury and receiving a police award for bravery in 2007, the Home Office declined to comment on his case.
Shardey has two sons, Jacob and Aaron, with a British woman, and his first marriage, also to a Briton, ended previously. His case highlights significant issues in the UK’s immigration system, particularly for long-term residents who have integrated into society.
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