Muhammad Ali, 35, was studying for a postgraduate course in tourism management in Scotland in 2014 when his house was raided at 5am by Home Office enforcement officers. He was accused of cheating in an English-language exam he took in 2012, and was held in immigration detention for 14 days. He returned to Pakistan and has been unable to clear his name from there. He speaks fluent English with a Scottish accent.
He said: “I was handcuffed and held in a nightmarish detention centre. Since coming back home I’ve struggled to explain to my family what happened. My father is a respectable senior banker, who worked for the same bank in Karachi for 42 years. He poured so much money into sending me to the UK to study. It was such a prestigious thing, to send your son to the UK for higher education.
“I was a young chap of 18 when I left home – it was a dream – and then I came back with an accusation from the UK government that I’m a cheat, a con artist, that I submitted fake documents. None of my family believed me except my mum.
“It was devastating. I started hating myself; stupid thoughts came into my mind. I can’t get visas to travel elsewhere because of this allegation.
“I didn’t notice anything unusual or suspicious at the test centre. It’s been 10 years of living with this blame. My options have been closed down by the whole saga. I’m not married, I don’t have a good job. I’ve failed miserably. I’ve got this allegation for life that I’m a fraud.”
Shana Shaikh, 35, came to the UK in 2011 from Ahmedabad, India, when she was 22, to study for an MBA. She speaks flawless English.
She said: “I’d been studying English since childhood. I had an undergraduate degree in chemistry and scored highly on the English tests I took before I left home. I needed to take a new English test to have my visa renewed so I took a Toeic test in London in 2012.
“The exam seemed very basic, childish. There was nothing suspicious happening in the room when I took the test. I passed. In 2014, the Home Office told me I needed to take a new test because the Toeic tests were no longer recognised, so I took a different test, and passed again. Two years later, the Home Office told me my visa application had been refused because I’d used deception in my application.
“I’d finished my MBA but was planning to do an PhD. I couldn’t continue my studies because of this, and I didn’t want to go back to India with an allegation of deception hanging over me. My mum is a teacher; before he died my dad worked in the police. As a policeman’s daughter, this feels very shameful. This was the age where, in my culture, I might have got married. The foundations of my future have not been built.
“I had real faith in the UK justice system but the allegation against me was wrong. How could it be possible that everyone cheated? I’ve been in limbo for nine years. Once I have cleared my name I plan to go back to India. I’m hoping to go into social work. I’ve missed so much – funerals, weddings. I’ve lost so many loved ones while I’ve been stuck here.”
Dilshad Abdul, 44, from Sri Lanka, travelled to the UK in 2008 to study IT at the British Institute of Technology and Commerce. His leave to remain in the UK was refused in 2015 because of an allegation of cheating in an English test. Since then he has been fighting to get the decision overturned.
He said: “I have no idea why the Home Office concluded I cheated. I had no reason to cheat at all; Before I came to London, I’d worked for a Sri Lankan TV company, often working in English, writing in English, working with people from the UN and the Red Cross. My English was really good. I didn’t see anything strange on the day of the tests.
“I needed to sit a new English test in order to apply to a new college in 2012. The Toeic test was listed as an option on the official UK immigration website.
“The Home Office has never released any evidence in favour of the allegation. The data I was shown from the testing company ETS wrongly said I was an Indian national. I’m basically destitute here now, not allowed to work or study, relying on the kindness of relatives. It’s embarrassing living here and there, relying on charity. I feel so guilty about it.
“My last visit to Sri Lanka was in 2013. I come from a well-off family, my mother had a construction store and a real estate business there. If your son goes to study abroad it’s considered a real privilege. I wanted to come to the UK to get an education that is recognised throughout the world. I hoped to come here, get good qualifications and then return home.
“My mother passed away in 2017. I couldn’t travel back for the funeral because the Home Office had my passport. My relatives have disowned me, called me disgraceful, accused me of disrespecting my family. They say: ‘Your mum spent so much money on your higher education. You didn’t come to the funeral.’
“I’ve felt suicidal. If I see a police car, I feel panic. I’m often afraid to go out. I could be deported. If I were to go home now, I’d struggle to get a job at my age, starting from the bottom.
“The trauma is with me every day. I blame the Home Office for putting me in this situation.”
Abdul Qadir Mohammad, 36, travelled from Hyderabad in India to study business in London in 2010, when he was 22. He was accused by the Home Office of cheating in 2015 and his visa was cancelled. He has spent more than £20,000 on trying to clear his name so that he can complete his studies.
He said: “I haven’t been home for 14 years. I haven’t hugged my mum or dad for 14 years – that’s not a small thing. My landlord hasn’t taken any rent for eight years because he knows what I’m going through, he knows I didn’t cheat. My friends buy me groceries and food. I feel ashamed to face my family back home. They say: ‘Abdul you have lived in the UK for 14 years. What have you achieved?’
“My family believe me but my father is still angry with me. He has spent so much money first on my education and then on trying to clear my name. He had a small grocery shop and saved up to put £15,000 into my college fees. I’ve got debts on my credit card of £10,000. My mother sold her gold to support me. At this time of life, people get good jobs, buy a car, they get married, get a home. I don’t have any of those things.
“I get panic attacks. I feel very angry about the way this has been handled. It has destroyed my life. These tests are easy to pass; I had no reason to cheat. I’m not even sure if they’ve got the right file – when ETS sent the file originally it had the wrong test date and the wrong date of birth.
“I want to clear my name and get on with my studies; I want to do a masters. I want to show my family that I didn’t cheat. I spend my days sitting in the park, desperately waiting for my hearing.”
