A Jamaican man battling cancer is facing deportation despite his fear he will die if sent back to the Caribbean.

Lewin Williams, 74, has lived in Birmingham since 2003 and was invited to the UK by his sister. 

Mr Williams was diagnosed with cancer and is a diabetic and has been told by doctors he should not travel –as it could kill him. Despite these warnings, he fears the Home Office will deport him as his application to stay in the UK was refused in December 2019.

Speaking to The Voice, he said: “I would not like the Home Office to deport me because I know I will pass away because I can’t afford the treatment there. It is very rough on me at the moment and sometimes I feel like I would rather take my own life than go back to Jamaica and suffer.”

“I would not like the Home Office to deport me because I know I will pass away because I can’t afford the treatment there. It is very rough on me at the moment and sometimes I feel like I would rather take my own life than go back to Jamaica and suffer

Mr Williams is currently receiving treatment and attends the hospital twice a week. The 74-year-old said he would not be able to afford the life-saving treatment in Jamaica.

He told The Voice, he first visited the UK in 2001 and his sister bought him here after he was granted a six-month visa.

During that time, he stayed for two months before returning to Jamaica. In 2003, he came back to the UK to stay with his sister again, on a visitor’s visa, which lasted till June 2004. He was living at his sister’s home in Birmingham and was helping her with her family.

He said after a few months, he warned his sister it was almost time for him to go back to Jamaica and expressed he didn’t want his visa to expire and hinder any chances of returning again in the future.

He said: “I told her, I don’t want my visa to run out before I go back home.”

Mr Williams said his sister suggested he should apply for settled status. He told The Voice, he gave his sister his passport to make an application and thought he was granted settled status because he didn’t hear otherwise and sister didn’t mention it again.

“I kept asking her what was the outcome but she didn’t say anything, she didn’t give me my passport until five years after –when it was expired,” he added.

He said he was unaware of where to go to report his problems with his immigration status because he didn’t know anyone. He claims in 2005, he began to feel unwell and noticed changes in his appearance and health and that is when his sister evicted him.

Mr Williams told The Voice, his sister told him to leave her home in the middle of winter, which left him homeless and destitute.

He said: “She threw me out in the streets like a dog! I don’t know why she put me out. I was sick at the time and she didn’t want the responsibility of looking after me. She put me out because caring for me would be too much for her.

“It was a young man who saw me in the street with the snow covering me, who took me to his mother’s house.”

Mr Williams recalls staying with an elderly woman while homeless and feels hurt that none of his sister’s seven children have reached out to him. He described this period in his life as “suffering” and insists if he had the money to buy a ticket –all those years ago –he would have returned to Jamaica.

Mr Williams explained to The Voice, because his circumstances have now changed and he is battling cancer he needs to stay in the UK and get the treatment he needs. In 2019, he was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer and also suffers from diabetes. He made an application to remain in the UK in September 2019, on the grounds of his deteriorating health, but was refused three months later.

Homeless

He is currently living in a homeless shelter in Birmingham and said the support from his friends is what has kept him going. “If it wasn’t for my friends I don’t know where I would be,” he said. Mr Williams said he has tried to reach out to his sister but his calls go unanswered.

He said: “I have tried to call them to get my clothes and belongings but she is not answering the phone.”

He revealed to The Voice, doctors and nurses have also tried to contact her but she fails to answer their calls or respond to their messages. The court has now granted permission to appeal but this hasn’t stopped Mr Williams from worrying about his future.

He said: “Every day I am worried about what will happen to me. I am stressed, hurt and sick and battling cancer all at the same time.”

Mr Williams’ case had been referred to Migrant Voice, which is a charity that assists people with immigration issues.

Salman Mirza, is his case worker, he told The voice: “I understand you have to be tough on immigration, but this is ridiculous.

“He is an elderly man who is suffering from cancer, how can you deport him to a place where he cannot afford the treatment? “I met Lewin and instantly connected with him. The case may go back to court again and that is what we are preparing for.”

Mr Mirza has launched a campaign to raise awareness about Mr Williams’ case – and the petition can be signed here:

The Voice has contacted the Home Office for comment and they said: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases. All visa cases are considered according to their merits. As Mr Williams has an outstanding appeal it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time”.