EXCLUSIVE - For a citizen of a British overseas territory, England was never meant to be home. It was a safe haven, a temporary escape from the devastation of Hurricane Irma and the personal threats that followed. A woman, who had been a hotel manager and event promoter in her homeland, arrived in May 2019 with a return ticket for November, intending only to visit her mother. Her mother, a proud carer and permanent resident of Britain, offered the family the support that was desperately needed. This visit, however, quickly became a life-altering decision.
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A job offer from a promotional company, coupled with threats of an unsafe return to her homeland, led her to make a difficult choice. Her children were already in England, having been sent away from the hurricane's aftermath. With a potential job and a safe environment for her kids, she chose to stay.
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This decision seemed to be validated by a series of official approvals. She was granted a National Insurance number, benefits for her children, and began working in December 2019 after all background checks were passed. She had the right to abode, the right to work, and even voted in the 2019 all further elections. In 2020, she had a son who was issued a British passport. Two years later, she had a daughter with the same father, but her daughter's passport application was denied.
In a cruel twist of fate, her world was turned upside down in 2023 when her immigration status was questioned. She was told her daughter did not qualify for a British passport because neither parent was a British citizen. Suddenly, she was no longer able to work, her right to abode was revoked, and her benefits were nearly stripped away. She was forced to apply for British Citizenship in 2023, which was finally granted in February 2024.
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By this point, she had been out of work since 2022, first due to a high-risk pregnancy and then unpaid maternity leave. A mother of five, she was now unemployed, surviving on Universal Credit and child benefits. People often assume that those on benefits are "ok," but they fail to see that every penny is pumped back into the economy through council tax, utilities, groceries, and essential items for their children. She even took on a managerial position in 2024 with the highest salary she'd ever earned in England, only to realise she was financially better off on benefits after the heavy deductions for taxes, transportation, and childcare.
And as if that wasn't enough to contend with, she also faced outright racism.
"The racism I faced here in England was blatant and in your face. It's something you don't experience in the British overseas territory; it's simply not tolerated there. But here, I had customers who would refuse to shake my hand, ask how I got my job, or refuse to even let me serve them. They weren't afraid to express their prejudice, and it was a shocking and demoralising part of my daily life."
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The years of not working, a stark contrast to a life of continuous employment, took a severe toll on her mental and physical health. She experienced clinical depression, her size dropping from a 24 to a 14. She is now in weekly therapy for severe depression and is unable to work.
One of the most heart-wrenching parts of her story is the difference in her children's health. She has three children in the British overseas territory who are perfectly healthy, with no medical issues. In England, her two youngest children (both born in England) are non-verbal and being investigated for autism spectrum disorder. This is a journey many families face, with over 172,022 people in England waiting for an autism assessment as of December 2023. She notes that neither she nor the children's father have a family history of the spectrum. Therefore the needs of her children contributes to her being unable to work, as they require 24-hour care. She now lives on a minimal income to support her four children (her eldest has since grown and have left the household).
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"People often ask, 'Why don't you just go back home?' or say, 'Send them home.' But they don't see the full picture or the immense cost of that decision. Would you uproot your children again after they’ve finally found a stable home? Would you take two disabled children to a country that lacks the facilities and support services for their specific needs, when all they have ever known is England? This is not just a matter of location; it's a matter of safety, health, and a family’s stability."
This story is a stark reminder that Britain is not a bed of roses. It is a place where economic hardship and a lack of support can lead to a recession of the spirit, sending many into a deep depression. The number of people diagnosed with depression in Britain has been on the rise, with around 16% of adults reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms in autumn 2022, a rate higher than pre-pandemic levels.
This is a story of a woman who came seeking safety, only to find herself broken by the very system that was meant to protect her.
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