The ‘local legend’ cried out after his passport application turned his life upside down

A community ‘role model’ cried when she found out she was not a British citizen despite living in the UK for almost 50 years.

Nelson Shardey, 75, ran Nelsons News on Borough Road in Seacombe for 31 years, from 1991 to 2022, but has lived in the UK since November 1977, when he first arrived as a student at accounting in Southampton in Ghana. He considered himself a British citizen, paid taxes and worked hard, but in 2019, he found out he did not have official permission to stay in the UK.

The father, who has three grown-up children, was told to apply for a 10-year path to settlement, but this could cost the family around £18,000 over the 10 years. Despite having already lived in Britain for 46 years, Nelson may not have obtained British citizenship until the mid-1980s.

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His family is now challenging the Home Office legally, arguing that his treatment is unfair given the costs involved during the 10-year process. But if they lose the challenge, they face having to pay the government’s legal fees.

The Home Office said it would not be appropriate to comment on active legal proceedings.

Having come to Britain as a student, Nelson stopped getting funding to support his education following a coup in Ghana. This meant he had to find a job and started working from 7pm to 7am before attending accounting classes at 9am.

He later dropped out of the course and started working full-time, getting a National Insurance number and buying a house in Southampton.

However, Nelson felt it was not a good life for him, put the house up for sale and moved to Wallasey in 1990. He then set up Nelsons News in 1991, working from 4am to 11pm at night, sometimes even making his newspaper for Customers.

He has been described as a local legend and received a Liverpool Echo Mersey Marvel Award in 2007 after saving a friend from an attack with a baseball bat. The Seacombe community once rallied behind him after he was busted.

Nelson said: “The reason I moved here was because the people were so friendly and down to earth. I was so welcomed and everyone appreciated me and everyone was so friendly.

“It was like a family here. It was really great. They behaved like human beings without any difference regardless of color. They welcomed me, invited me to parties, everything.”

However, in 2019, Nelson applied for a passport to travel to Ghana after his mother died. To his surprise, he learned he was not a British citizen, adding: “All along, I thought of myself as a citizen. I had a bank account, I bought everything on credit. No one questioned my citizenship. I was called as a jury. I don’t see any difference between me and everyone else.”

He continued: “To be honest with you, I cried in the house when the kids weren’t around. I would come out full of smiles like myself. I wouldn’t show it, but I was really shocked.”

Nelson ran the newsstands for three more years, retiring in 2022. He was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time. He said: “I feel really disappointed because we didn’t quite make it into the country,” adding: “The current 10-year route, it’s outrageous.”

Having paid taxes for 46 years through his business, Nelson currently has no access to public funds or pension credits. He said: “I’ve worked my whole life,” adding: “I want to let people know what’s going on. Injustice. All cases should be considered on their merits, not as a wholesale rule. I’m not saying I should get special treatment, but I didn’t break any laws the whole time.

“It would mean a lot. This is where I call my home. My daughter is buried in Landican. When I die, I want to rest there. Everything is here, my house. I have all my children here, my grandchildren. This is my house. I’ve worked my whole life to make this a better place to live.”

After the 2019 decision, news broke about Nelson’s situation. His son Jacob said people would constantly ask questions about what was going on, adding: “People are absolutely outraged, even just from the ones I’ve told. I had received messages saying this was absolutely insane and shameful, wondering how could they do this? It was just constant. I’d go to the gym and Tesco and people would ask, how’s your dad? what’s up with your dad It’s good?”

“It was just horrible. You wouldn’t even think it would happen to you. For that to happen, being of mixed race, you experience the odd bit of racism here and there, but that’s coming from people who are idiots.”

He continued: “It goes against everything you believed and grew up with. You can’t understand how to feel. It’s just a gut feeling. I can’t even put words together sometimes to explain how I feel.

“The things he’s done for the community and he’s been a role model, not just for me, but for everyone else in this area. People love him and you wouldn’t expect that to happen. It’s just a kick in the teeth.”

Jacob claims that in 1977 there were no clear instructions on how to apply for citizenship. He said: “It is a small cog in a big system. They have these systems in place just to keep the wheel spinning, but they don’t look at the casings individually. I understand it would take a lot longer, but situations like this happen.”

Nelson’s legal representatives said the Home Office in 2022 recommended that Nelson be immediately granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) due to exceptional circumstances, following his community work and time in the UK. Nelson was also told by the Home Office to apply through the Windrush system as he might be eligible, but was rejected a year later.

Nicola Burgess, from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, is representing the family in the case. She said: “There are many long-term residents in the UK who, for many reasons, end up on the 10-year road to settlement. This is a long, complex and expensive process. They are denied access to benefits and have to apply for a leave extension every 2.5 years for which they have to pay exorbitant fees to the Home Office, well above the cost of administration.

“They also have to pay the Immigration Health Levy, which is on top of their normal taxes and National Insurance. Most go through this process without help, without legal representation. As a result, many are forced to leave the route and end up undocumented, in this case. dangerous position, having to start the route from scratch.

“Nelson’s case is quite unique, not just because of the time he was a resident, but because of everything he achieved, including the bravery award. Even the Ministry of the Interior admits that his whole life is here. I just think that on a legal level the decision to deny him ILR is wrong, and on a personal level, it’s just unfair.”

Nelson’s family said they had tried to raise the issue with Angela Eagle’s office as a constituent several times but felt they had been given the wrong advice and hoped for more support, adding: “There has been no initiative to come to help”.

Wallasey MP Angela Eagle said: “The treatment of Nelson by the Home Office was appalling and my sympathies continue to be with him and his family. This is yet another example of an under-resourced Home Office wreaking havoc on an entire family, paying little attention to the financial toll, emotional turmoil and general disruption that their divergences and delays all too often cause.

“My office and I have been in contact with the Shardey family since 2021 regarding Nelson’s case with the Home Office, but I have known him for a long time as a highly respected and active member of the local community and business owner.

“I am disappointed to hear that Nelson and his family feel that the support provided by my team was not enough. It is certainly true that so far he has not been able to resolve his situation. As immigration advice is highly regulated and subject to legal restrictions, neither I nor my staff are in a position to advise on immigration cases and it is only right that Nelson’s case be dealt with by his legal team , which is properly qualified to support it.

“It has always been my view that the Home Office should have used their discretion in this case and given Nelson the status he deserves to continue his life here as he has done since 1977. “

A link to the family’s crowdfunder can be found here.

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