Brexit: Nigerian migrants panic over UK decision on settled status

Nigerian and other migrants hoping to get UK citizenship may be in for some unsavoury experience after an Italy-born woman who moved to the UK with her family when she was just two years old was refused settled status.

Anna Amato has lived in Bristol for 55 years after emigrating with her parents Mario and Chiara from Italy.

The now 57-year-old attended school and university in Britain and she estimates she has paid over £500,000 in tax during her four decades of working.

Despite marrying a British husband, Connell, and having two British children, Anna has now been told that because of Brexit she is not welcome in her homeland.

The Home Office has told her she did not provide enough evidence to document her status – even though Anna’s documents were so heavy they cost £35 to post.

The devastated mum said: ‘You are in your country, it is a democracy, all of a sudden you are told after this time no one knows what is going to happen to you. ‘Where do I go? It is really, really scary.’

Anna’s case is not isolated as increasing numbers of EU nationals are told they do not have the right to stay after Brexit.

There are some 3.5 million people in the UK who now need to apply for settled status to carry on living in the place they call home. Many of those are elderly or who have lived in the UK for decades and have always assumed they would be allowed to stay once the country exit the bloc on October 31.