UK accused of ‘copy and paste’ asylum decisions as Jamaica man told he’s not in danger in Iraq

The Home Office has been accused of copying and pasting letters after a Jamaican man who applied for asylum in the UK was told he claimed he would be “unlawfully killed on return to Iraq” and that he had not demonstrated “death is virtually certain”.

Naga Kandiah, lawyer of O’Neil Wallfall, 49, said that the letter rejecting his client’s application shows that the government disregards individual submissions when reaching conclusions, according to a report in the Guardian.

“The Home Office should not have made the mistake of saying I’m from Iraq. How could they have considered my case properly if they wrote things like that in the refusal letter,” Wallfall told the Guardian.

“I believe that my life will be at risk from gangs if I’m sent back to Jamaica. My case should have been considered properly without cut-and-paste information about Iraq in it. The Home Office has treated me so unfairly. They locked me up in detention for many months. My mum died while I was locked up and I was taken to her funeral by immigration officers.”

READ: Pace of Iraqi protests continues, death toll rises to 100

The letter also said that it would not be “unduly harsh” to expect that his British partner Karen McQueen should relocate to Jamaica with him.

Wallfall, who has been in the UK since 2002, is caring for McQueen, who is terminally ill and waiting for a kidney transplant.

“Going through all of this with O’Neil has made me feel as if I’m under the control of immigration myself,” said McQueen. “O’Neil is a loving, caring and supportive partner. Being with him and having his help and support has given me a new lease of life despite my terminal illness.”

The Home Office have questioned whether the relationship is genuine because Wallfall’s name is not on the tenancy agreement, yet those without the right to reside in the UK cannot rent property.

Rights group Amnesty International has advised Home Secretary Priti Patel to reform the UK’s inhumane immigration system considered by legal experts to be “broken”.

Patel has vowed “a radical rewrite” of the British immigration system and promised to prioritise immigrants who add “significant value” to the UK.