A mum-of-three has been told she could face deportation from the UK, despite holding a British passport and having lived in the country for 22 years. Amika Brown, 41, received a “traumatising” letter from the Home Office two weeks ago threatening to strip her of her British citizenship over alleged identity fraud.
The government correspondence alleges that Mrs Brown obtained her citizenship using a false identity, warning that she could be “removed” from the UK and sent back to her native Jamaica. However, Mrs Brown insists that the officials have made an error, pointing out that the incorrect surname and date of birth are printed on the letter.
Despite providing proof of her identity, Mrs Brown is yet to receive a response from the Home Office, leaving her in fear of being “ripped away from family”. Living in Luton, Beds, Mrs Brown said: “This has been absolutely traumatising. 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.”
To confirm her identity, Mrs Brown has sent the Home Office her birth certificate, which verifies her name and shows that she was born in 1982, not 1979 as the letter claims. She has also provided her brother’s birth certificate, which confirms he was born in 1979.
She claims that this “proves” they have her date of birth wrong – it’s not possible for her and her sibling to be born within three months from the same mother. Mrs Brown continued: “What was so upsetting is it wasn’t even a question of asking me to prove my identity. They accused me of fraud straight away. I am so anxious because I have seen people get wrongly deported before.”
The mother-of-three is particularly worried about the potential impacts on her career – as she works as an accountant and is currently on the path to becoming chartered. She said: “You can’t be an accountant if there’s anything linking you to fraud. So that would be my whole career messed up.”
Mrs Brown recounted her journey from Jamaica to the UK in 2002 at age 19. She initially had a Visitor’s Visa, married, became ‘legalised’ in 2009, obtained ‘Indefinite Leave To Remain’ and eventually settled status in 2015. After a divorce and remarriage in 2019, she became a British citizen and received her passport the same year.
The process, according to her, cost around £10,000 in fees. Residing with her husband and youngest daughter who is 10, Mrs Brown is struggling to establish communication with authorities saying: “I just want to be able to talk to someone – but there is no direct phone number and my letters have had no response.
“It’s affecting my whole family. 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 added: “It is our longstanding position that we do not comment on individual cases.”
