A group of Fijian-born soldiers who sued the government after being classified as illegal immigrants have been granted leave to remain in the UK, despite losing their legal battle against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Home Office. MoD rules state that Commonwealth-born service personnel are eligible for indefinite leave to remain in the UK after discharge if they have served for four years. The claimants assumed that after four years of service, the immigration process was automatic. David McMullen, a former soldier who launched Citizenship4Soldiers, a campaign group to help overseas-born soldiers remain in the UK after serving in the army, returned his medals in protest last November. A fundraising campaign secured enough money for the soldiers to pay the fees for permanent residence, and the Home Office granted it, despite their late application.

Source: The Guardian July 11, 2021 11:14 UTC