Help Ali get his right to work back 2.0
Donation protected
Just over a year ago, I posted a fundraiser for Ali, the local Big Issue Seller by Tesco on Aldersgate Street, to raise money for his UK naturalisation application. We received amazing support from the community which Ali and I would like to personally thank everyone for. I’ve linked below the original GoFundMe page and Barbican Talk post explaining his story.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ali-get-his-right-to-work
https://www.barbicantalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=107492&hilit=local+big+issue+seller#p107492
However, it has sadly not been at all straightforward since then and Ali is still yet to be granted citizenship. Below is a rough timeline and overview of the current state of his case:
After 2 attempts at the citizenship exam, Ali passed in February 2021 and sent off his application through his lawyer. It then took over 6 months to hear anything back from the home office and that was that some documents with proof of residence from a period a few years ago were missing. He traveled to Birmingham to retrieve documentation from where he had stayed and sent them off.
In November 2021, he had a hearing at the immigration court where Ali mentioned his wife's passing which highlighted some further documents missing from the application including her death certificate. The judge then told him he had until February 2nd to submit these documents but he also had to pay the entire £1330 fee all over again. Despite Ali pleading with the judge, explaining he was homeless and that the funds were raised on his behalf, he was told 'If you raised the money once, you can raise it twice.' I was furious at the complete apathy over not only Ali's life but also the efforts and kindness of everyone who donated. Soon after the hearing, Ali returned to Birmingham to start gathering the necessary paperwork. Over the past few months he has been tracking down the rest of the documents and as of last week has now got everything he needs.
I've spoken to family of friends who work in law for advice, one suggestion being potential grounds against Ali's lawyer for negligence and that his firm is liable to cover the £1330. While there does seem to be negligent representation considering the lawyer failed on two occasions to have all the required paperwork, I don't know where we'd even begin to go about this and with what legal help. Someone I know also spoke with a friend who has had a long career in immigration law and seemed to think there wasn't much hope for fighting to repeal the judge's decision. None of this seems at all fair but I fear that taking legal action will either take too long for Ali or won't even be possible; he said that given his status he isn't eligible for legal aid.
Please get in touch if anyone here has any expertise and could help with his case, whether this is meeting up with Ali and myself or looking over his file. However, I don't know how much longer Ali can wait and I imagine any legal battle would be lengthy, costly and unpredictable. I’ve spoken with a few members of the community and we’ve agreed the safest and most viable option is to raise the money again. I’ve set up this fundraiser with the same goal of £2000 which will cover the fee and give us the possibility to have the immigration lawyer my friend spoke with look over the case before submission at a discounted rate of £125 an hour. Any excess money will always go a very long way in helping Ali survive until he can work again.
I like to think that the original fundraiser was not a waste but I apologise to all of you who gave so generously the first time, I had hoped that was the final hurdle. I can assure you though that all of the extra money raised last year helped Ali tremendously in keeping him indoors and paying off debts; he prays every day for those who have aided him.
Thank you for your support
Adam
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ali-get-his-right-to-work
https://www.barbicantalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=107492&hilit=local+big+issue+seller#p107492
However, it has sadly not been at all straightforward since then and Ali is still yet to be granted citizenship. Below is a rough timeline and overview of the current state of his case:
After 2 attempts at the citizenship exam, Ali passed in February 2021 and sent off his application through his lawyer. It then took over 6 months to hear anything back from the home office and that was that some documents with proof of residence from a period a few years ago were missing. He traveled to Birmingham to retrieve documentation from where he had stayed and sent them off.
In November 2021, he had a hearing at the immigration court where Ali mentioned his wife's passing which highlighted some further documents missing from the application including her death certificate. The judge then told him he had until February 2nd to submit these documents but he also had to pay the entire £1330 fee all over again. Despite Ali pleading with the judge, explaining he was homeless and that the funds were raised on his behalf, he was told 'If you raised the money once, you can raise it twice.' I was furious at the complete apathy over not only Ali's life but also the efforts and kindness of everyone who donated. Soon after the hearing, Ali returned to Birmingham to start gathering the necessary paperwork. Over the past few months he has been tracking down the rest of the documents and as of last week has now got everything he needs.
I've spoken to family of friends who work in law for advice, one suggestion being potential grounds against Ali's lawyer for negligence and that his firm is liable to cover the £1330. While there does seem to be negligent representation considering the lawyer failed on two occasions to have all the required paperwork, I don't know where we'd even begin to go about this and with what legal help. Someone I know also spoke with a friend who has had a long career in immigration law and seemed to think there wasn't much hope for fighting to repeal the judge's decision. None of this seems at all fair but I fear that taking legal action will either take too long for Ali or won't even be possible; he said that given his status he isn't eligible for legal aid.
Please get in touch if anyone here has any expertise and could help with his case, whether this is meeting up with Ali and myself or looking over his file. However, I don't know how much longer Ali can wait and I imagine any legal battle would be lengthy, costly and unpredictable. I’ve spoken with a few members of the community and we’ve agreed the safest and most viable option is to raise the money again. I’ve set up this fundraiser with the same goal of £2000 which will cover the fee and give us the possibility to have the immigration lawyer my friend spoke with look over the case before submission at a discounted rate of £125 an hour. Any excess money will always go a very long way in helping Ali survive until he can work again.
I like to think that the original fundraiser was not a waste but I apologise to all of you who gave so generously the first time, I had hoped that was the final hurdle. I can assure you though that all of the extra money raised last year helped Ali tremendously in keeping him indoors and paying off debts; he prays every day for those who have aided him.
Thank you for your support
Adam
Organiser
Adam Grant
Organiser
England