A man who was born and raised in the UK was refused a passport for three years, leaving him unable to work or travel abroad, because the Home Office didn't believe he was British.
Londoner Dominic Akers-Paul - who was a 15 when his passport application was rejected - said he couldn't take on a part-time job, start an apprenticeship, go on school trips abroad or attend his grandma's funeral in Ghana because of the blunder.
Dominic, who lives in Farringdon, is now 28-years-old but is still trying to find a way to fight his Windrush compensation case after the Home Office error. The engineer says he feels his life would have been different if the traumatic mistake did not occur.
Speaking to MyLondon, he said: "When I was 15 I applied for my first passport as I won a youth competition to go to America, it was all expenses paid so I sent my passport application off. Three weeks later I got a letter saying 'we don't believe you're British so won't be issuing you with a passport.'"
The Home Office said there was no information to confirm that his mum had settled status.
While growing up, Dominic did not have a passport as he claimed the Home Office lost his mother's landing card, leaving her unable to prove her right to remain in the UK, according to correspondence seen by MyLondon.
Dominic added: "I thought well I've not lived anywhere else but the UK, so it must be a mistake and that was when the ordeal started.
"They weren't sure I was British and we went back and fourth for years until 2011, when I was 18 and finally got my first passport. They admitted it was a mistake but didn't say sorry, they gave the passport but no apology.
"In 2019 I heard about the Windrush scandal and I put my detail forward for the compensation, they admitted it was their error and their fault but still won't compensate me for significant parts e.g. not being able to work or travel.
"They're offering the bare minimum, initially it was £3,000, then they upgraded to £40,000 but that only covers a mid-level impact in life.
"In the case notes for that it says it is damage that is short term lasting a few weeks. But years of my life was taken.
"My grandma was buried in Grenada and I couldn't go, I couldn't go on school trips or work. It will stay with me forever. We calculated I should get £29,000 for not being able to work between the ages of 16-18 part-time, even though some of my friends were working from 15."
During the years Dominic did not have a passport, his friends were out buying new cars and getting part-time jobs, as well as going on holidays. Meanwhile, Dominic was alone fighting for his passport, which he says was just one portion of the battle.
Although you can claim compensation for stress and mental health issues caused by the Home Office error, the only way to prove it is to have a letter from your doctor. However, at the time of Dominic's application he says he was not made aware of the medical evidence required.
Once they requested a medical letter at the final compensation review, upon sending it, Dominic was told by the Home Office it is too late "for any new supporting evidence to be considered".
More than 10 years on since Dominic received his passport he has been battling for compensation for his loss of earnings.
He says that the Home Office has told him to take the £40,000 or leave it and appeal again.
However, once he accepts the offer he cannot change his mind or take it to court.
"At the moment I've exhausted all routes on offer, as long as I don't accept there's always a chance of that legal route, if someone offers pro-bono for Windrush compensation, or if the Government changes their rules," he said.
"I've sent a mathematical breakdown but the scheme says to claim compensation for not being able to work, you need a letter to prove they won't hire you without documents."
The difficulty with proving Dominic could not be hired without documents is that a lot of work places will not look at your application if you tick a box that says you do not have a passport, says Dominic.
Although he is now a qualified railway engineer, he says he can't help but think he was left with no option but to go to university as he did not have the documents to apply for an apprenticeship.
Dominic said: "If I had my passport at 15 I would have left school at 16 and did an apprenticeship route, the extra 10 years could have changed my engineering career, the lawyer had put that in writing saying I had to stay in sixth form and then university - but the Home Office said I went to university so there was no loss to me, even though it was by force and not by choice."
The Londoner has not accepted the Home Office offer of £40,000 and is waiting for an opportunity to fight his case further.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “We continue to process claims under the Windrush Compensation scheme which has now paid out more than £40.5 million across 1,037 claims, with a further £8.2 million offered, awaiting acceptance or pending review.
"The Home Office’s compensation offer to Mr Akers-Paul’s has been upheld by two separate reviews.”
