‘I’m desperate. I feel like a prisoner in my home’

AN AFGHANI man who was refused permission to remain in UK despite living half his life in Wales says he is feels like a prisoner in his own home.

Bashir Naderi, 20, fled to Britain from Afghanistan when he was 10 after his father was murdered by the Taliban.

But in October last year when he was signing in at the Home Office, he was ordered for forced removal. His deportation was put on hold just a few hours before he was due to board a flight to Kabul.

But in January, the Home Office refused Bashir leave to remain in the UK – a decision his legal team are now appealing.

Now, almost nine months after his living nightmare began, Bashir and his partner Nicole Cooper, 24, said they feel like they are “living in limbo” and are unable to move on with their lives.

Bashir, who lives in Cardiff, said: “We just have to wait and see what the next step is. We can’t plan anything at all. I don’t feel safe to leave the house in case something happens or an email comes from my solicitor. I am desperate. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.”

Nicole, who started a petition calling on the Home Office to let Bashir stay which was signed by more than 14,000 people, said: “We’re still in limbo. Our emotions are all over the place, especially for Bash because he doesn’t know what to do or what’s going on.

“Bash’s legal team are still dealing with the Home Office and we now have two weeks to hear back from them about rethinking their decision. Their last decision was they didn’t want Bash to be here and they were trying to send him back. We were hoping to go to court or that the Home Office would think it wasn’t worth the hassle. It’s a long and tiring journey we’re going through and since when it happened in October, we can’t move on with anything, we’re just waiting for that good news to come which we desperately need.”

Cathays resident Bashir, who attended Mary Immaculate High School, will be appearing in a BBC Three documentary called Don’t Deport Me, I’m British.

The documentary follows the lives of three young men, including Bashir, who came to Britain as kids, grew up here and call Britain their home, but found themselves having to face the prospect of being deported to a country that was now unfamiliar to them.

Speaking about the documentary, Nicole said: “Since all this has happened, I don’t think Bash has talked about his journey or anything that has happened, only to me and my family and his foster family. He’s now speaking about it in depth. It will explain how he feels and shows what he is dealing with every single day.”

The couple hope to find out the Home Office’s decision soon.

Don’t Deport Me, I’m British will be available on BBC iPlayer from tomorrow.