Church minister calls for boy to be allowed to stay in UK
A CHURCH minister is calling on the Home Secretary to show “compassion, decency and common sense” in the case of a 13-year-old boy whose leave to remain in the UK has expired.
Giorgi Kakava, 13, was three when he fled to Scotland from Georgia with his mother Sopio Baikhadze, who died in 2018. He was granted permission to stay in the UK along with his grandmother and guardian, Ketino Baikhadze, in July 2018 after the Church of Scotland launched a campaign. However, their residence permits expired in December.
The Rev Brian Casey, minister of Springburn Parish Church in Glasgow, said it is a “scandal and a moral outrage” that Giorgi is still living in uncertainty.
An immigration lawyer is preparing a new residence application for both Giorgi and his 62-year-old grandmother, and more than 90,000 people have signed a petition calling for the teenager to be allowed to stay in Glasgow. Mr Casey said: “This is a human rights issue and I hope people will sign the petition and join me in urging Home Secretary Priti Patel to look at this case with compassion, decency and common sense.
“After Giorgi’s mother died, the local community rallied around him and the outpouring of love and concern was overwhelming.” He said: “I have been so inspired by his progress.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “It is wrong to claim we are threatening to remove either Ms Batkhadze or her grandson. They were granted limited leave to remain in the UK and currently have a further application outstanding.”