Nelson Shardey, a retired shopkeeper living in the UK for nearly 50 years, has been given indefinite leave to remain by the Home Office after facing deportation. Shardey, 74, came to Britain from Ghana as a student in 1977 and stayed in Wallasey, Wirral.
In 2019, he was told he didn’t have the right to live in the UK. According to the BBC, the government has granted him permanent residency due to his “exceptional” situation. Shardey’s family plans to give the nearly £48,000 ($61,000) raised for his legal battle to charity.
Shardey, who arrived in the UK on a student visa, was unable to convince his parents to pay his tuition due to a coup in Ghana. He worked at several companies, including Mother’s Pride bread, Kipling’s Cakes near Southampton, and Bendick’s Chocolate in Winchester.
Throughout his stay in the UK, his eligibility to live and work was never challenged. Shardey, who married two British ladies and had two sons, owned Nelson’s News in Wallasey. He has never left the UK and considers it his home. In 2007, he got a police award for bravery after confronting a robber who attacked a delivery man with a baseball bat.
He realized in 2019 that he was not deemed a British citizen when he filed for a passport to visit Ghana following his mother’s death. He was recommended to seek a pricey 10-year settlement route, costing £17,500. Shardey’s argument against the Home Office, driven by financial concerns, emphasized his long residency, bravery award, and community work, seeking for special treatment.
The Home Office waived the application fee for Shardey’s indefinite leave to remain, citing discretion under the Immigration Act.
Shardey said he was “overwhelmed, very very happy and relieved”.
“I would like to thank everybody who believed in us and supported us in words and donations,” he said.
Shardey added that while the “battle” was won, he and his supporters “hope to win the war, for the authorities to agree that the 10-year route is inhuman and abolish it or shorten it”.
Nicola Burgess, Shardey’s lawyer from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, expressed her delight at the Home Office’s decision to grant him indefinite leave to remain.
“Nelson’s bravery in the face of dysfunctional immigration system has been inspirational,” said Burgess. She urged the new government to simplify the system to avoid “many more” Shardey being forced into “an endless cycle of applications, bureaucracy and expensive fees”.
Shardey’s sons, Aaron and Jacob, said his victory “means the absolute world to us”.
“We are so grateful to our legal team… and everyone who supported us… from sharing our story to donating, we cannot thank you enough,” they added.
The Shardey family plans to donate raised funds to The Boaz Trust, Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, and Wirral Foodbank.
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed they are collaborating with Shardey to finalize his application for indefinite leave to remain.