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These people all think
they're British.

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I feel British, and I am British.

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The UK is all I've ever known.

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But in the eyes of
the law, they're not.

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I realised I wasn't
British at the age of 18.

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They're the children of migrants.

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They've grown up here,
and say they're being penalised

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through no fault of their own.

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I felt like my dreams had
been crushed, really.

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Many are paying through the nose
so they can stay in the country,

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they already call home.

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I just go into such a dark place
because it's so much

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money, so much effort.

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And some are facing deportation
to countries they barely know.

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I was born here, I've lived
here my entire life.

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I don't know anything else,
to be honest with you.

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I'm just as British as you.

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Panorama investigates
the immigration rules that have left

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these young people feeling
like second class citizens.

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Life chances are being squandered
by the British state

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because the immigration rules
are too inflexible.

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Maheraj Ahmed is 18 and has lived
in East London since he moved

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here from Bangladesh
at the age of five.

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I'm the child of first
generation immigrants,

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and I want to study medicine
and hopefully one day

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become a doctor, and help
people and give back

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to the community through medicine.

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Hello Maheraj, I'm Greg.

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So how are you all doing?

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We're all good.

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All good.

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Maheraj's family came
to the UK when his dad

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was here studying nursing.

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He says his father's life
would have been in danger

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if he'd returned home.

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There was a change in
government in Bangladesh,

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and my dad couldn't return,
so he brought us over here with him.

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He has a younger sister and brother.

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And what about you?

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I want to be a doctor.

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Like your brother?

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Maheraj says when his dad's visa
expired the family spent years

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trying to get a new one.

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Meanwhile, Maheraj worked hard
and did well at school.

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Two years ago he won a full
scholarship to Eton do his A-levels.

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You must be very proud
of Maheraj, yeah?

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Yes.

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And what's it like going to Eton?

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Oh, yeah, it's pretty good.

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As first there was,
it was like, it was strange,

51
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because it was completely different
to normal state school,

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but it's become normal now.

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But he got a shock when he applied
to study medicine at university.

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When I was told that, you know,
because of legal reasons

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you won't be able to go
on the university this year,

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and you might not be able
to in the future as well,

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it really depends
on your circumstances.

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That to me was just devastating.

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I felt like my dreams had
been crushed really.

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Despite being in the UK
since he was a little boy,

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Maheraj is on a temporary visa.

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That means he's considered a foreign
student, subject to huge

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international fees -
£30,000 a year for medicine.

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And he's been told he can't
get a student loan.

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I've been, I've been in this
country since age five,

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and I've received a government
funded education from primary school

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all the way up to secondary school.

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And when I heard that,
it was really upsetting for me.

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Maheraj's case shows you how
ridiculous the system

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is for all children facing
the problem of not qualifying to be

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deemed as a home student.

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Life chances are being squandered
by the British state

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because the immigration rules
are too inflexible.

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It's thought there are 180,000
children in the UK who aren't

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British citizens but have lived
here for more than ten years.

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They were born here or brought
here when they were children.

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They feel British and
know no other country.

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The problem is their immigration
status wasn't resolved

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when they were young.

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And now they say they are being made
to feel like second class citizens.

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We thought it would be really good
to have an upskilling session,

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so that they can go
through the application.

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Chrisann Jarrett came
from Jamaica aged eight,

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and only found out she wasn't
a British citizen when she was 18.

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Now she campaigns for other young
people who've grown up here,

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but are facing problems
because of their temporary

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immigration status.

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There are young people that
are socially integrated,

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having been brought here
from a young age, been

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through the entire British education
system and just want to live

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a fruitful life.

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And your immigration
system affects the way

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in which you access services -
going to university,

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opening a bank account,
or even trying to rent a property.

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As children they went
to school and could see a GP,

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so they often didn't realise
there was a problem

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until they were older.

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I've written in my diary one time
that if you cut me open,

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I will bleed the Union Jack.

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I first came to the UK when I was
two years old with my mum.

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I came from Nigeria,
I was born there.

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She

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She is

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She is 26.

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She says she and her mum came
to the UK on a valid visa,

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but when it ran out her mum
struggled to renew it.

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11 years ago, when her mum was at
work, there was a knock on the door.

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Four immigration officers burst
in and they basically

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tackled my dad to the ground.

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I had no idea what was going on.

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Ijeoma was taken to a detention
centre with her father

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and younger brother.

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I had to try and stay calm,
just because of him.

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I didn't want to show him
fear or show him that

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something was terribly wrong.

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I try not to talk about
the detention stuff too much.

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I mean, it was very
much like a prison.

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Ijeoma's dad was sent
back to Nigeria.

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But it was decided the children
could stay, and they were eventually

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reunited with their mum.

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There are far fewer child detentions
nowadays, but Ijeoma can't

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escape the memories.

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For me, it was just
genuinely so traumatising.

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The whole process is very inhumane
and just disgusting, really.

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Now Ijeoma wants to be recognised
as a British citizen.

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But first, she'll have to complete
what's called the ten year route.

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So here's how it works.

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On the ten year route,
you get a visa which you have

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to renew and pay for
every two-and-a-half years.

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After ten years, you can apply
for indefinite leave to remain,

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which gives you the right
to stay here permanently.

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But it's still not
British citizenship.

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You can't ask for that
for at least another year.

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It's a long, arduous
and very costly journey.

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Ijeoma's now been on it
for more than five years.

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It's just too long.

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Ten years is a very long time.

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But shouldn't it take a long time,
because, after all, your parents

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didn't have the right
papers for you?

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It's just not reasonable, you know.

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I've grown up here.

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I've done nursery,
primary, secondary school.

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I'm now in uni.

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I don't plan on leaving.

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Ijeoma couldn't afford to go
university straight away.

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On the ten year route,
you have to wait three years before

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you can qualify for normal home
student tuition fees

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and a student loan.

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It's like they don't
want me in their country.

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It just makes me feel
like I don't belong here at all.

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The ten year route is the slowest
path towards British citizenship.

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It's for people who've already spent
years in the UK and have ties here.

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There is a five year route,
mainly for people who arrive

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with the right skills and income,
or who've married British citizens.

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These young people should
have an accelerated route

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that is in line with other areas
of the immigration system,

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and be on a five year
route like everyone else.

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And why shouldn't it be ten years?

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Why shouldn't it be that long?

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People are put on the ten year route
because of their strong ties.

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They're not going anywhere.

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If you accept that they have
the right to be here,

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make it easier and feasible for them
to maintain that status

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and be truly integrated.

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If you've ever been here
without a valid visa, the ten year

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route could be your only option.

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I think it's to put people off.

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I think it puts people off.

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There can be no other explanation.

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If people are part of our society,
why are we creating systems that

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make it prohibitive before
you can become British?

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Why are we doing this?

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I'd like to welcome you onboard
and thank you very much indeed

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for choosing to travel with us.

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I've come to the Isle
of Wight to find out more

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from a man who should know.

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Tony Smith used to lead
the Home Office agency that carries

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out immigration controls.

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Do you have sympathy for the idea
of people that, say,

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they came over when they were two,
three, four, they're now 18, 19, 20?

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Particularly if they've come
at a young age, then,

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you know, of course,
then one must sympathise

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with the plight that suddenly
they find themselves in,

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a situation where maybe
they can't stay if they've

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been brought up here.

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But the difficulty we have
with that is it could encourage

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others to continue to come,
and that's the challenge,

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is constantly trying
to find that balance.

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So that we can demonstrate we've got
a firm immigration control,

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and that it's not OK to come
here and stay here illegally.

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Until a decade ago, it was much
easier for the young people

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who'd grown up here.

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They could often get the right to
stay permanently in just six years.

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But in recent decades,
UK Governments of all parties have

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brought that series of policies
to toughen up the rule,

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creating a so-called hostile
environment for illegal immigrants.

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And in 2012, the ten year
route was introduced.

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For young people who have
been brought up here,

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this has made the journey
to citizenship not just longer,

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but very expensive.

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00:12:36,889 --> 00:12:38,809
The UK's unusually expensive
compared to other countries.

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There are countries that are also
expensive but the UK is certainly

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00:12:41,689 --> 00:12:47,569
on the very high end of that.

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Every two and a half years,
applicants have to pay

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00:12:51,689 --> 00:12:56,129
for a new visa, now around £1,000,
and a fee to use the NHS -

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currently almost £1,600.

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That's before they've
paid solicitor fees.

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00:13:09,169 --> 00:13:14,129
These costs have been a real problem
for sisters Tahj-Li, who's 19,

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00:13:14,129 --> 00:13:17,089
and Nashstacia, who's 27.

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That's really nice,
the polka dot one.

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00:13:20,129 --> 00:13:23,009
Along with their mum and older
sister, they've done more than seven

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years on the ten-year route.

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00:13:27,009 --> 00:13:29,849
Between them, it's already
cost around £12,000.

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00:13:31,489 --> 00:13:36,409
I think the entire process is just
not something that an average

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00:13:36,409 --> 00:13:41,009
working-class family
can realistically afford.

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00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:48,609
When Tahj-Li was one
and Nashstacia was nine, they came

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with their mum from Jamaica.

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00:13:52,609 --> 00:13:55,249
The family wanted to join the girls'
grandparents, who were part

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of the Windrush generation.

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We came on a visitors'
visa because all of our

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00:14:00,529 --> 00:14:02,769
family was in the UK.

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00:14:02,769 --> 00:14:06,849
But the family overstayed
their visa, and when they applied

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00:14:06,849 --> 00:14:10,649
for a new one in 2013,
they were put on the ten-year route.

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It's like I have to pay
my way to be British.

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00:14:14,929 --> 00:14:17,209
I came here when I was nine.

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00:14:17,209 --> 00:14:19,769
What choice does
a nine-year-old have?

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Imagine coming from one
source of income...

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00:14:24,089 --> 00:14:27,369
With three daughters
and herself to pay for,

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00:14:27,369 --> 00:14:32,609
the costs were crippling
for their mum.

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One time, I was about 14,
there was no electric at one point

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00:14:36,849 --> 00:14:40,649
and my mum bought candles.

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00:14:40,649 --> 00:14:44,049
There have been times
where we were rationalising

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00:14:44,049 --> 00:14:47,849
essential things that we need
in the house: water,

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00:14:47,849 --> 00:14:49,889
bread, you know, sanitary
towels, things like this,

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00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:51,849
and it's just...

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It just strips somebody
of their dignity.

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People on the ten-year route can
work, but can't claim benefits

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00:15:01,089 --> 00:15:04,529
unless they can prove
they're really struggling.

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00:15:04,529 --> 00:15:09,769
Their mum took two jobs
to make ends meet.

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00:15:10,409 --> 00:15:14,449
She was working for the income that
provided enough money to pay

241
00:15:14,449 --> 00:15:17,569
for those visa fees and a roof
over my head at the same time.

242
00:15:19,369 --> 00:15:22,089
During the pandemic,
their mum couldn't work.

243
00:15:22,089 --> 00:15:24,889
She got a small amount
in furlough payments,

244
00:15:24,889 --> 00:15:28,089
which had to last eight months.

245
00:15:28,089 --> 00:15:31,729
In December, she was able
to begin claiming benefits.

246
00:15:32,729 --> 00:15:35,569
Now we're seeing the effects
on her mental health,

247
00:15:35,569 --> 00:15:38,009
on her physicality.

248
00:15:38,009 --> 00:15:39,689
She can't help like she used to.

249
00:15:39,689 --> 00:15:42,289
I'm having to pick up that baton,
which has been extremely

250
00:15:42,289 --> 00:15:45,569
hard on my shoulders.

251
00:15:45,569 --> 00:15:50,569
Their mum was still facing
a £5,000 visa renewal bill

252
00:15:50,569 --> 00:15:53,049
for herself and Tahj-Li.

253
00:15:53,289 --> 00:15:57,329
Shouldn't it be expensive, because
otherwise everybody would apply?

254
00:15:57,329 --> 00:16:01,609
There's expensive, and then
there's exploitation.

255
00:16:01,609 --> 00:16:06,569
And this isn't expensive -
this is exploitation.

256
00:16:08,409 --> 00:16:11,409
Chrisann Jarrett is also
on the ten-year route.

257
00:16:11,409 --> 00:16:16,609
Is the ten-year route fair?

258
00:16:19,889 --> 00:16:20,889
Well, no.

259
00:16:20,889 --> 00:16:22,329
The ten-year route is not fair.

260
00:16:22,329 --> 00:16:23,369
It is punishing.

261
00:16:23,369 --> 00:16:26,009
It is relentless in terms
of the financial demands of young

262
00:16:26,009 --> 00:16:27,089
people and families.

263
00:16:27,089 --> 00:16:29,969
A lot of young people are entering
adulthood in their early 20s

264
00:16:29,969 --> 00:16:31,169
with an immense financial burden.

265
00:16:31,169 --> 00:16:35,529
The Home Office says all fees
are kept under review,

266
00:16:35,529 --> 00:16:40,289
and it offers several fee waivers
and exceptions from the need to pay.

267
00:16:40,289 --> 00:16:45,489
But over the last decade,
fees have increased sharply.

268
00:16:45,809 --> 00:16:50,929
The fee to use the NHS has tripled
since it was introduced in 2015.

269
00:16:51,729 --> 00:16:55,809
And the visa application fee almost
doubled between 2013 and 2018.

270
00:16:58,289 --> 00:17:00,929
The impact is that you're always
saving towards a goal post

271
00:17:00,929 --> 00:17:02,249
that's always moving.

272
00:17:02,249 --> 00:17:04,129
It's irrational to expect
young people and their

273
00:17:04,129 --> 00:17:05,609
families to pay this.

274
00:17:05,609 --> 00:17:10,489
So why does it cost so much,
and where's the money going?

275
00:17:11,689 --> 00:17:16,929
When I first joined the Home Office,
it was a free service

276
00:17:17,569 --> 00:17:19,489
actually, to to deal
with applications to remain.

277
00:17:19,489 --> 00:17:22,089
Increasingly over the years,
the Home Office has had to find

278
00:17:22,089 --> 00:17:26,529
a financial business model
which isn't necessarily

279
00:17:26,529 --> 00:17:28,409
funded by the tax payer,
and that's really

280
00:17:28,409 --> 00:17:30,729
to cover the increasing costs
of the administration of the system.

281
00:17:33,809 --> 00:17:37,369
But the visa application fee you pay
every two and a half years

282
00:17:37,369 --> 00:17:41,529
has become much more
than the cost of administration.

283
00:17:42,569 --> 00:17:45,369
So, we've got a list of fees
the Home Office currently charge,

284
00:17:45,369 --> 00:17:48,649
if you'd like to have a look.

285
00:17:48,649 --> 00:17:52,689
This document, published
by the Home Office, shows the fees

286
00:17:52,689 --> 00:17:55,289
charged for all their visas,
and sets them against the costs

287
00:17:55,289 --> 00:17:57,609
of processing claims.

288
00:17:57,609 --> 00:17:59,729
Are you surprised?

289
00:17:59,729 --> 00:18:02,849
Uh, yeah, I mean...

290
00:18:02,849 --> 00:18:06,289
It costs the Home Office £142
to process an application

291
00:18:06,289 --> 00:18:10,609
for their visa renewal.

292
00:18:10,609 --> 00:18:14,089
The actual cost to
the claimant is £1,000.

293
00:18:14,089 --> 00:18:19,289
So I pay £1,033, and it costs
the Home Office £142 just to process

294
00:18:19,369 --> 00:18:22,009
paperwork I've provided them.

295
00:18:22,009 --> 00:18:24,849
Can I get a refund?

296
00:18:24,849 --> 00:18:27,209
I still feel shocked
every time I see it.

297
00:18:27,209 --> 00:18:30,089
To me, it looks like exploitation.

298
00:18:30,089 --> 00:18:34,769
And when the ten years is up,
you have to make a further

299
00:18:34,769 --> 00:18:36,849
application for indefinite leave
to remain - the right

300
00:18:36,849 --> 00:18:40,649
to stay permanently.

301
00:18:40,649 --> 00:18:44,089
It costs the Home Office £243
to process this claim.

302
00:18:44,089 --> 00:18:47,249
Oh, my God.

303
00:18:50,929 --> 00:18:52,409
They're charging - are you ready?

304
00:18:52,409 --> 00:18:53,449
Yeah?
OK?

305
00:18:53,449 --> 00:18:56,009
£2,389.

306
00:18:56,009 --> 00:18:59,569
How can they sit there
and allow that to happen?

307
00:18:59,569 --> 00:19:01,969
How could they sit there
and feel OK with themselves?

308
00:19:01,969 --> 00:19:05,049
They don't want me here -
that's how I feel.

309
00:19:05,049 --> 00:19:07,449
And there's another wait if you want
British citizenship -

310
00:19:07,449 --> 00:19:11,969
and another £1,300 payment.

311
00:19:11,969 --> 00:19:14,969
This is actually
ridiculous looking at it.

312
00:19:15,369 --> 00:19:18,809
I feel sick.

313
00:19:18,809 --> 00:19:20,769
Thanks.

314
00:19:22,209 --> 00:19:26,769
The Home Office said taxpayers
should not "bear the burden

315
00:19:26,769 --> 00:19:31,009
of the costs" of people coming
or applying to settle here,

316
00:19:31,009 --> 00:19:34,649
and "every penny" is reinvested
to run "vital immigration services".

317
00:19:38,009 --> 00:19:42,649
The young people we've spoken
to describe hardship and insecurity.

318
00:19:42,649 --> 00:19:46,449
But for some, the stakes
are even higher.

319
00:19:48,089 --> 00:19:53,369
I wasn't aware I was in a situation.

320
00:19:57,849 --> 00:20:00,689
I didn't know I would be
considered not British

321
00:20:00,689 --> 00:20:02,129
until this situation arose.

322
00:20:02,129 --> 00:20:04,529
Hey, Sam, how you doing?
You all right, you good?

323
00:20:04,529 --> 00:20:06,369
I'm sweet.

324
00:20:06,369 --> 00:20:09,969
Sam Trye was born in South London 31
years ago, and has lived on this

325
00:20:09,969 --> 00:20:11,609
estate most of his life.

326
00:20:11,609 --> 00:20:15,889
His mum is from Sierra Leone.

327
00:20:15,889 --> 00:20:19,169
Show me where you grew up
and the places you used to hang out.

328
00:20:19,169 --> 00:20:20,849
Is this the school you went to?

329
00:20:20,849 --> 00:20:21,929
Yeah.

330
00:20:21,929 --> 00:20:25,049
I started off in the nursery,
and then Reception, Year One,

331
00:20:25,049 --> 00:20:27,849
Year Two, that's in this like part
of the building.

332
00:20:32,929 --> 00:20:35,049
So you were born here,
so, ultimately, you see

333
00:20:35,049 --> 00:20:37,849
yourself as British?

334
00:20:37,849 --> 00:20:38,849
Of course.

335
00:20:38,849 --> 00:20:40,529
My experiences are British.

336
00:20:40,529 --> 00:20:43,649
I was born here, I lived
here my entire life.

337
00:20:43,649 --> 00:20:46,009
I don't know anything else,
to be honest with you.

338
00:20:46,009 --> 00:20:51,249
I'm just as British as you.

339
00:20:51,729 --> 00:20:53,569
Some of it's new over there.

340
00:20:53,569 --> 00:20:55,929
When Sam was a teenager,
he started to get involved

341
00:20:55,929 --> 00:20:57,889
with gangs and selling drugs.

342
00:20:57,889 --> 00:21:01,409
As an adult, he was sent to prison
twice for more than a year.

343
00:21:03,409 --> 00:21:07,729
Another park is over there.

344
00:21:07,729 --> 00:21:11,089
So you're 16, 17 on the estate,
what sort of things were you doing,

345
00:21:11,089 --> 00:21:15,209
were you holding drugs?

346
00:21:15,209 --> 00:21:18,809
Initially, it started holding.

347
00:21:18,809 --> 00:21:20,689
Ultimately snowballed
into like selling drugs for older

348
00:21:20,689 --> 00:21:24,089
lot, working for them.

349
00:21:24,089 --> 00:21:27,409
Abusing drugs as well
at the time, cos I was young.

350
00:21:30,089 --> 00:21:32,729
Even being born in the UK
doesn't automatically make

351
00:21:32,729 --> 00:21:37,049
you a British citizen.

352
00:21:37,049 --> 00:21:39,209
Sam and his mum both
got indefinite leave

353
00:21:39,209 --> 00:21:41,609
to remain when he was 19,
but his mum never

354
00:21:41,609 --> 00:21:45,129
applied for citizenship.

355
00:21:45,129 --> 00:21:48,249
By law, Sam's convictions
make him a foreign criminal,

356
00:21:48,249 --> 00:21:50,369
so he should be deported
to Sierra Leone -

357
00:21:50,369 --> 00:21:53,729
a country he barely knows.

358
00:21:53,729 --> 00:21:56,089
What would you say, Sam,
to people that might be

359
00:21:56,089 --> 00:21:58,049
watching and thinking,
well, hang on a minute,

360
00:21:58,049 --> 00:21:59,489
you committed a number of offences.

361
00:21:59,489 --> 00:22:00,529
You went to prison.

362
00:22:00,529 --> 00:22:04,809
Therefore, you broke the rules
and should be deported.

363
00:22:04,809 --> 00:22:09,649
I would say that I didn't come
from another country

364
00:22:09,649 --> 00:22:12,729
and start committing crime.

365
00:22:12,729 --> 00:22:17,689
Any crime that I've committed,
I've taken accountability

366
00:22:17,809 --> 00:22:20,609
for and I've been to prison and I've
served my time, do

367
00:22:20,609 --> 00:22:21,889
you know what I mean?

368
00:22:21,889 --> 00:22:24,689
I'm not asking for pity as such,
I just want to compete

369
00:22:24,689 --> 00:22:27,569
on a level playing field.

370
00:22:27,569 --> 00:22:30,209
If you're not a citizen
and you're sentenced to more

371
00:22:30,209 --> 00:22:33,049
than a year in prison,
the law says you must be deported.

372
00:22:33,049 --> 00:22:35,249
But should the same rules
apply to someone who's

373
00:22:35,249 --> 00:22:38,129
spent their whole life here?

374
00:22:38,129 --> 00:22:40,529
It's particularly difficult when
somebody was born in this country.

375
00:22:40,529 --> 00:22:42,889
It's wrong.

376
00:22:42,889 --> 00:22:48,129
He may not be defined legally
as a British citizen,

377
00:22:48,369 --> 00:22:51,529
but for all intents and purposes,
he is British, isn't he?

378
00:22:51,529 --> 00:22:56,769
He is our problem and we ought
to help him adjust into our society.

379
00:23:02,889 --> 00:23:06,729
Sam lives with his mum Melinda, who
had a mini-stroke a few years ago.

380
00:23:07,409 --> 00:23:09,049
Mum, do you want this tea?

381
00:23:09,049 --> 00:23:11,649
In your mug?

382
00:23:18,729 --> 00:23:22,969
I need Sam to be here
with me now more than ever,

383
00:23:22,969 --> 00:23:27,689
because he is like my other arm.

384
00:23:27,689 --> 00:23:30,529
He's my right hand, as they say,
my right hand, he is.

385
00:23:30,529 --> 00:23:33,409
She bitterly regrets not applying
for Sam to become a British citizen

386
00:23:33,409 --> 00:23:34,649
when he was a child.

387
00:23:34,649 --> 00:23:38,089
If she had, there would be no
threat of deportation.

388
00:23:39,849 --> 00:23:45,129
I made a mistake and,
20 years on, I don't think it's

389
00:23:46,529 --> 00:23:49,369
fair, I made a mistake.

390
00:23:49,369 --> 00:23:52,969
I wish I could turn the clock back.

391
00:23:52,969 --> 00:23:56,129
What I know now, if I knew then,
it would have been different,

392
00:23:56,129 --> 00:23:59,449
but there's nothing you can
do about that.

393
00:24:01,609 --> 00:24:04,809
Sam's exhausted his appeals
against deportation and is now

394
00:24:04,809 --> 00:24:09,529
making a fresh application to stay.

395
00:24:09,529 --> 00:24:13,449
To confuse things more,
Sierra Leone have told him he's not

396
00:24:13,449 --> 00:24:18,489
a citizen there either,
and they can't give him a passport.

397
00:24:18,489 --> 00:24:22,729
In the meantime, Sam can't work,
claim benefits or drive -

398
00:24:22,729 --> 00:24:26,569
and he's been asked to pay
for NHS treatment.

399
00:24:27,489 --> 00:24:30,369
So, what have you been
doing to get by?

400
00:24:30,369 --> 00:24:34,129
A small set of friends and family
have taken care of me.

401
00:24:34,129 --> 00:24:36,489
Are you involved in
crime at the moment?

402
00:24:36,489 --> 00:24:38,569
Not at all.

403
00:24:38,569 --> 00:24:41,729
I don't aspire to get involved
in any of that stuff any more.

404
00:24:41,729 --> 00:24:44,049
I don't want the headache.

405
00:24:44,049 --> 00:24:46,489
What does it feel like to be
going through this?

406
00:24:46,489 --> 00:24:49,569
Yeah, I think I've gone
crazy a couple of times.

407
00:24:49,569 --> 00:24:51,489
I think I've gone a bit loopy.

408
00:24:51,489 --> 00:24:54,409
You know what I mean?

409
00:24:54,409 --> 00:24:59,449
You start shouting and being
frustrated very easily.

410
00:24:59,569 --> 00:25:03,129
You start to just lose a lot
of hope, you start to lose a lot

411
00:25:03,129 --> 00:25:05,529
of faith in yourself.

412
00:25:07,209 --> 00:25:12,289
There are more than 10,000 people
who've been told they'll be deported

413
00:25:12,409 --> 00:25:15,889
because of their crimes,
but who are still living here.

414
00:25:16,769 --> 00:25:22,009
Removals from the country now
are at an all-time low.

415
00:25:22,089 --> 00:25:25,649
People are not going back,
even after significant amounts

416
00:25:25,649 --> 00:25:30,369
of appeals and judicial reviews.

417
00:25:30,369 --> 00:25:33,409
And at the same time, new evidence
can be introduced at the very,

418
00:25:33,409 --> 00:25:36,249
very last moment because there's
some other reason that has now come

419
00:25:36,249 --> 00:25:38,489
up which suggests that
that should be delayed.

420
00:25:38,489 --> 00:25:41,329
That really undermines the process.

421
00:25:41,329 --> 00:25:45,649
The Home Office said it only
returns people who don't

422
00:25:45,649 --> 00:25:50,089
need their protection and have no
legal basis to remain.

423
00:25:50,089 --> 00:25:53,449
It said its new plan for immigration
will "stop the abuse of the system"

424
00:25:53,449 --> 00:25:56,049
and speed up removals.

425
00:26:02,009 --> 00:26:06,329
The young people we've
spoken to all believe

426
00:26:06,329 --> 00:26:08,729
they are the casualties of policies
designed to crack down

427
00:26:08,729 --> 00:26:13,889
on illegal immigration.

428
00:26:14,849 --> 00:26:17,409
But the man who used to run
the immigration control agency

429
00:26:17,409 --> 00:26:21,929
says the current system
is failing everyone.

430
00:26:22,969 --> 00:26:28,209
It's not really working for anyone.

431
00:26:29,129 --> 00:26:31,729
For the applicants who are waiting
for a long, long time...

432
00:26:31,729 --> 00:26:33,969
For the officials that are faced
with an ever-increasing

433
00:26:33,969 --> 00:26:35,569
burgeoning workload,
even for the legal profession,

434
00:26:35,569 --> 00:26:38,449
which I think most of the courts
are now swamped with immigration

435
00:26:38,449 --> 00:26:41,089
cases, so there's no doubt
in my mind that the immigration

436
00:26:41,089 --> 00:26:43,009
system right now is broken.

437
00:26:43,009 --> 00:26:45,889
The Home Office says it has
a new plan for immigration that

438
00:26:45,889 --> 00:26:48,769
will be "fair but firm".

439
00:26:48,769 --> 00:26:50,609
It's working on  simplifying"
the rules, and "reviewing

440
00:26:50,609 --> 00:26:54,489
the application process"
for settlement.

441
00:26:54,489 --> 00:26:58,929
It recognises "there may
be individuals" here

442
00:26:58,929 --> 00:27:01,969
from a young age who -
"through no fault of their own" -

443
00:27:01,969 --> 00:27:04,369
have not formalised their status,
and is working with those affected.

444
00:27:10,409 --> 00:27:14,809
Maheraj and his family are now
on the ten-year route.

445
00:27:14,809 --> 00:27:17,369
In another year, he should be
eligible for a student loan

446
00:27:17,369 --> 00:27:20,969
and cheaper university fees.

447
00:27:20,969 --> 00:27:22,889
I just want to get to my goal.

448
00:27:22,889 --> 00:27:24,809
And, you know, achieve my dream.

449
00:27:24,809 --> 00:27:28,769
I understand that being
a citizen is a privilege.

450
00:27:28,769 --> 00:27:31,089
The people in my situation,
they should be granted that

451
00:27:31,089 --> 00:27:33,449
privilege from a young age.

452
00:27:35,529 --> 00:27:39,049
Tahj-Li and her mum
have had good news -

453
00:27:39,049 --> 00:27:41,689
the Home Office has agreed to drop
this year's visa fees

454
00:27:41,689 --> 00:27:44,609
because of their money problems.

455
00:27:44,609 --> 00:27:49,489
But her sister Nashstacia will still
have to pay almost £2,600.

456
00:27:49,689 --> 00:27:54,809
Even applying for this,
my next application,

457
00:27:55,289 --> 00:27:57,889
doesn't necessarily mean that I'm
going to...I'm going to get it.

458
00:27:57,889 --> 00:27:59,849
And that's really frightening.

459
00:28:00,489 --> 00:28:05,529
Meanwhile, Ijeoma has another four
years to go on the ten-year route,

460
00:28:08,609 --> 00:28:12,369
and longer still before she can say,
officially, that she's British.

461
00:28:12,369 --> 00:28:15,009
And what will it mean to you to get
British citizenship?

462
00:28:15,009 --> 00:28:19,289
Oh, my God.

463
00:28:19,289 --> 00:28:22,209
I think in terms of just putting it
in one word, freedom.

464
00:28:22,209 --> 00:28:24,569
Freedom from the fees,
freedom from this way of life,

465
00:28:24,569 --> 00:28:25,649
of just constantly saving.

466
00:28:25,649 --> 00:28:27,329
So, yeah, freedom.