Mum with British passport faces deportation despite living in UK for 22 years

A mum-of-three has reportedly been told she could be deported from the UK despite holding a British passport and having lived in the country for over two decades.

Amika Brown, 41, received a letter from the Home Office two weeks ago, which she said threatened to strip her of her British citizenship over alleged identity fraud.

The government letter alleges Ms Brown had gained her citizenship using a false identity – and as a result she could be “removed” from the UK and sent back to her native Jamaica.

But Ms Brown, an accountant, says the surname and date of birth on the letter were incorrect – suggesting they had confused her identity, StokeOnTrentLive reports.

She says she sent the Home Office proof of who she is, but is yet to receive a reply and is scared she’ll be “ripped away from [her] family in the middle of the night”.

“This has been absolutely traumatising,” she said. “I am so stressed. I am terrified I am going to be ripped away from my family in the middle of the night. They are claiming that my identity is false – but I have all this proof of who I am.”

The Home Office has been sent her birth certificate to confirm her name and the fact that she was born in 1982 rather than 1979, as the government department’s letter claims.

Ms Brown has also sent her brother’s birth certificate which shows he was born in 1979 proving, she says, that her date of birth was incorrect on the letter as they couldn’t have been born within three months of each other from the same mum.

“What was so upsetting is it wasn’t even a question of asking me to prove my identity,” she continued. “They accused me of fraud straight away. I am so anxious because I have seen people get wrongly deported before.”

Ms Brown, who is currently on the path to becoming a chartered accountant, says she’s particularly worried about the potential impact to her career.

“You can’t be an accountant if there’s anything linking you to fraud,” she said, adding: “So that would be my whole career messed up.”

Ms Brown moved to Britain from Jamaica in 2002 aged 19. She initially arrived on a Visitor’s Visa – but soon got married and became “legalised” in 2009. She later secured “Indefinite Leave To Remain” before getting settled status in 2015.

Four years later, Ms Brown divorced and remarried, and successfully became a British citizen, receiving her passport the same year. She estimates the whole process cost around £10,000 in fees.

She says she just wants to be able to talk to someone to resolve the issue, “but there is no direct phone number and my letters have had no response”.

“It’s affecting my whole family,” she said. “Everyone is worried. My eldest daughter in particular is concerned – as if I get deported they’ll send her too.

“Having someone question my identity like this has just been so horrible. I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve been here for most of my life. I’ve been to university and I’ve got a career. I’ve never been in any trouble. I just want them to see that I am who I say I am.”

The Home Office said the case is still live and being looked into. A spokesperson for the department added: “It is our longstanding position that we do not comment on individual cases.”