Immigration blunder: Chinese nursing student invited to UK on scholarship – then invited to leave in handcuffs
Authorities’ visit to house of woman trying to regularise visa status raises fresh questions about removals policy in UK
Chinese nursing student Qu Zixuan won a scholarship in 2010 to study health care in London, and was invited to Britain to help fill a shortfall in medical staff. Eight years later she was invited to leave, as men with handcuffs raided her home.
Details have emerged of a dawn immigration enforcement operation by six officers, showing a “distressing” and “intimidating” sequence of events.
The officers later admitted they were in the wrong when they entered Qu’s home and ordered her to leave Britain, even though her visa application was still being processed.
The visit to the home of a woman who was in the process of regularising her visa status has raised fresh questions about the fairness and efficiency of Britain’s Home Office policy.
An enforcement team visited the home of Qu and her fiancé, Duncan Watkinson, at around 5.30am on May 1.
They searched the property and told Qu she had “no leave to remain in the UK” and that she had been classified as an “immigration offender”.
After 25 minutes in the couple’s home, the officials appeared to acknowledge an error had been made and retreated, leaving Qu terrified and Watkinson in tears.