Traumatised mum with British passport faces being kicked out of UK by Home Office

Mum-of-three Amika Brown has lived in the UK for 22 years after being accused of using a false identity.

A mum has been told she could be deported from Britain despite holding a British passport and having lived in the country for 22 years. Amika Brown, 41, received a "traumatising" letter from the Home Office two weeks back, which threatened to strip her of her British citizenship over alleged identity fraud.

The government letter claims the mum-of-three had gained her citizenship using a false identity - and said she could be "removed" from the UK and sent back to her native Jamaica as a result. But Mrs Brown said officials have printed the incorrect surname and date of birth on the letter - meaning they are actually the ones who have confused her identity, reports StokeOnTrentLive.

But, despite sending proof of who she is, Mrs Brown is yet to receive a reply from the Home Office - leaving her terrified that she could be "ripped away from [her] family in the middle of the night".

Mrs Brown said: "This has been absolutely traumatising. I am so stressed. I am terrified I am going to be ripped away from my family in the middle of the night. They are claiming that my identity is false - but I have all this proof of who I am."

Mrs Brown has now sent the Home Office her birth certificate to confirm her name and the fact that she was born in 1982, as opposed to 1979, as the letter from the Home Office claims. The mum has also sent officials her brother's birth certificate which shows he was born in 1979. This, she says, "proves" that they have her date of birth wrong - as both she and her sibling could not have been born within three months of each other from the same mum.

Mrs Brown continued: "What was so upsetting is it wasn't even a question of asking me to prove my identity. They accused me of fraud straight away. I am so anxious because I have seen people get wrongly deported before."

The mum-of-three is particularly worried about the potential impact to her career as an accountant, where she is currently on the path to becoming chartered. She said: "You can't be an accountant if there's anything linking you to fraud. So that would be my whole career messed up."

Mrs Brown moved to the UK from Jamaica in 2002 at the age of 19. She initially arrived on a Visitor's Visa - but soon married and became 'legalised' in 2009. She was later given 'Indefinite Leave To Remain' before being granted settled status in 2015. In 2019, Mrs Brown divorced and remarried - and successfully became a British citizen. She received her British passport the same year. She estimates that the entire process cost her £10,000 in fees.

Mrs Brown said: "I just want to be able to talk to someone - but there is no direct phone number and my letters have had no response. It's affecting my whole family. Everyone is worried. My eldest daughter in particular is concerned - as if I get deported they'll send her too.

"Having someone question my identity like this has just been so horrible. I don't know what I'll do. I've been here for most of my life. I've been to university and I've got a career. I've never been in any trouble. I just want them to see that I am who I say I am."

The Home Office said the case is still live and being looked into. A spokesperson added: “It is our longstanding position that we do not comment on individual cases.”

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