Asylum seeker died just days after being granted right to work

THE Albanian asylum seeker suspected of taking his life on the Bibby Stockholm died without knowing that days earlier he had been granted the right to do paid work by the Home Office, The

Telegraph can reveal.

Leonard Farruku, 27, came to Britain with the dream of getting a job and building a new life by securing indefi- nite leave to remain in the country, according to family and friends.

He had paid people smugglers €4,000 (£3,435) to get to Britain illegally on a small boat across the Channel in August 2022, one of more than 12,000 Albanians who made the journey that year largely intent on working in the UK.

Although ostensibly an economic migrant, he had claimed asylum and his application was being actively considered by the Home Office at the time of his death on Dec 12 last year.

Like thousands of other migrants forced to wait for a decision for more than a year because of the asylum backlogs, Mr Farruku had applied to work in a shortage occupation, as is permitted under Home Office rules.

He was granted a permit to work in the UK for two years until December 2025 and could have become one of 16,000 asylum seekers allowed to work in shortage occupations such as care homes, construction and agriculture.

His permit was sent to his solicitors in London and received on Dec 7, five days before his death.

Phone calls by the solicitors and a Whatsapp message with a copy of the permit sent by a UK-based cousin failed to get through to him. It is not known why, though friends believe he may have changed his number.

It is suspected that he took his own life on board the Bibby Stockholm in Portland Port, Dorset, the following Monday after reportedly complaining about his mental health on the Sunday. Fellow migrants claim to have heard shouting and banging on the wall of his cabin that night.

Had Mr Farruku taken up the work permit, he would have been paid 80 per cent of the going rate for the job. He could have left the barge if he had found private rented accommodation.

The rule allowing migrants to work if they have been waiting more than a year arguably saves the Treasury money as they give up their £49.18 a week benefits and pay rent and income tax, if eligible.

Mr Farruku’s sister Jola Dushku said: “He came to the UK with the dream to find better work and, most importantly, to get indefinite leave to remain in the UK.”

Born in the rural north of Albania, he moved to Tirana as a teenager and worked as a pizza delivery driver. Having lost both parents, he decided to come to the UK.

Police and the Home Office have been investigating his death. His family hope the inquest, this summer, will explain why he apparently took his own life just days after being allowed to work.

Marenglen Farruku, his cousin, said: “He went there for a better life. He never showed any sign of distress. There are so many unanswered questions about what has happened there.”