I read this article and I am appalled by the actions of this government and the UKBA.

Sadly it only serves to highlight the sinister strategies that the agency employs, couching it in neutral sounding terms.

I will sign the petition and encourage others to do the same. However, I wish there was more we could do than this.

Then what would stop the UK becoming the first port of call for those that are sick and staying in the country without being citizens? If you’re not a citizen in most countries, you’re made to leave.

@ RAZ: Why the UK is become the first port of call for immigrants? Well..isn’t obvious? If the UK (along with the other anglo-supremacists- NATO) stopped meddling, invading, occupying and bombing other nations may be there wouldn’t be so much immigration.

Besides, the UK loves cheap labor and having immigrants (especially non-white ones) coming here means, they can be expoited and used as escape goats for everything that’s wrong with this f***ing country.

You’re quick to say what is wrong with this country, yet you’ve quite clearly stated your life depends on being able to stay here. Obviously it’s not as bad as it sounds, huh. Even though as a non-citizen, this country owes nothing to you and has no responsibility for you?

You came here as a student – one of those you moan about being exploited yet you bought into the system. You are no longer a student.

You came to study an received the benefit of what u paid for. Its a two way process. The uk owes u nothing further. The country struggles to meet the health of its own Citizens, how can we provide healthcare to others worldwide. We cant in short. The country is not a bottomless pit of resources.

@ Raz: @ Jaz: An international student paying for UK education isn’t like paying for a product or item. The UK is allowing someone to integrate into a new culture and place – to meet new people and to have an effect on others. It’s about sharing experiences and knowledge while moving towards an integrated society with others.

What kind of message do we send to other countries if we send people to their death? We are just showing that we just care about taking their money and cannot expect anything good in return.

The UK accepts a responsibility for international students coming to the country and should look after them as things can unfortunately change during their course of study. This is peoples lives, and not similar to returning a product when it is defected. Look after people and they will look after you.

Sam,
UK

“The UK is allowing someone to integrate into a new culture and place”

Yes, but not forever. Every international person knows this when applying for a TEMPORARY visa in another country. I’m not dismayed that I can no longer work in countries such as Australia or the States without getting married and hold of a green card. I was told to return home. I’m not beyond the law, I have to go back, because as a non-citizen of those countries, they owe nothing to me. They are not responsible for my circumstances.

“What kind of message do we send to other countries if we send people to their death? We are just showing that we just care about taking their money and cannot expect anything good in return.”

Erm, no. Being a bit (typically) dramatic on the whole “omg sending ppl 2 der death!11” front there. And again, overly dramatic on the whole point about the UK showing they care only about taking money from foreigners. Didn’t you yourself just say that the UK gives and ALLOWS more than that? In your own words, they give international folk the chance to “integrate into a new culture and place – to meet new people and to have an effect on others. It’s about sharing experiences and knowledge while moving towards an integrated society with others.” That comes with a price, because the country can’t just run off good will. It’s expensive, yeah but if you don’t like it you don’t need to buy into it. Vote with your money, perhaps instead of taking and paying for the chance and then crying about it later?

I don’t care that I had to spend a few months doing manual labour to extend my visa in Australia. I had to pull my weight for the country that had taken me in as its guest… and I accepted that as a guest and foreigner, it had the right to ask me to leave when it wanted.

“The UK accepts a responsibility for international students coming to the country and should look after them as things can unfortunately change during their course of study.”

Except this dude has finished his studies, has he not?
Incredibly tragic circumstances, yes, and I can see how some might take it the way you have in that it looks like HEY FINISH YOUR STUDIES AND THEN GET OUT, OKAY? WE JUST WANT YOUR MONEY. Well, duh. What else did your visa say on it? That you would be granted a red passport afterwards? University is a business these days, simple. You’re paying for your time to study there, your visa covers that.

The UK does not have a responsibility for all the sick people all over the world who can’t get aid in their own countries. It’s unfortunate that people are in that situation, but the UK ultimately has a responsibility for its OWN citizens. Borders are there for a reason, and it’s not just the UK who has them. The floodgates are not open for taking in every sick person.

I believe you might have simplified a few of the points.
Firstly I agree with you that it is a temporary position. However there must be possibilities for extensions of agreed times due to extreme situations. This is one of them, where the medical condition occurred during study and that the medical treatment is not available in their country of origin.
Further examples of this would be if genocide is occurring within a migrants country of origin – surely you’d agree that the UK could not possibly send someone back during such a crisis?

I find it amusing that you consider myself being dramatic considering your tone of discussion, and the facts unfortunately is considered to be being sent to death. Hep B is a very serious disease and his doctor has sent a letter detailing that there is ‘no definite treatment available for the level of his condition’.

More information can be found http://www.facebook.com/groups/452820554754025/

Again I think you might have confused the situation, it’s not a case of taking in sick people – that i agree is not possible at the moment unfortunately – but providing the support if things change during the agreed time of someones stay in Britain. When someone comes to study in Britain we are showing the world what is on offer here, our education, our culture, the way we see the world. It is not a shallow business deal. It needs to be flexible for if things change. That is what has happened and we should provide support for our neighbours.

To Lukman. I am sorry about ur situation but every day in Britian people die because of economics, disability, age, cronic illness, not just because of race but poverty. Old people die of cold in their homes an of deheidration in hospital. Homeless people die of cold in parks an cronically ill people die of neglect an lack of access to drugs. I work in mental health an see benefit cuts devastate lives. And these r uk citizens. I myself am facing reduncancy at 57 an losing my home. This isnt just about race its about inequality and poverty. In april next year uk citizens will loose legal aid for welfare, debt, most housing and employment issues amongst others, or in plain language, loose access to justice. U clearly feel an injustice is been done to u but nowhere in ur article do u link the personal injustice an wider injustice of ur situation to the inequality in britian of the poor and marginalised.

I have read more information an feel misinformed.I have written to Theresa May reg Mr
Onikosi and continue to encourage everyone to do the same. We cannot support everyone with a medical condition. He complains about Britian and yet wants our help. What other country would even consider it and provide legal aid to cover his legal costs. Mr Onikosi didn’t even manage go pay his univ fees, uk students raised much if iit to help after his sponser pulled out. He didnt mention this before. We owe him nothing and his rants about britian won’t help.

I dread to think what would have happened the first time a Jewish person in the 1940s (before we even had a universal healthcare system quite so expansive as the one today) asked to stay in the UK if we had all said “we owe you nothing, we can’t afford your care, you knew this when you came.”

Asylum, care, healthcare and migration are part of British history we can be proud of.

What system would you prefer? What do you suggest? The point is that he has the right to at least ASK to stay given his contribution to the UK, his changing circumstances and at the minimum that the UK has a tradition of asylum based on health and medical grounds. He has the RIGHT to criticise and question. It was a UK university that probably encouraged critical thinking – that’s what UK degrees are reknowned for. How he paid for his education is up to him surely; there are many UK students who take money from all kinds of sources just to make it into uni, it’s not an offense.
If you had a friend or faily member who faced deportation with similar circumstances, would you really argue the same?

Some good points raised by all of those who have commented so far. It is sad that he is being deported and his life depends on whether or not he stays in Britain. However, I don’t think it’s a simple case of “Britain owes you nothing” etc. Personally, I feel that Luqman and others in his position are forced to leave because of British citizens. If the government were to allow his stay then they face criticism for being weak and paying for non-nationals healthcare with citizens’ taxes which is a very touchy topic at the minute as British welfare is supposed to be for British citizens. Whereas, if they deport him they will face much less scrutiny and if he died hardly anyone would know about it. I doubt mainstream journalists will prioritize his story( as this is the first I’ve heard of it) or his death if it were to happen – this is a tactical decision unfortunately.

I have written to Teresa May to ask her to return this man to his country. He will likely be allowed to stay because he keeps his profile raised but we are a small land with limited resorces. We can barely afford to look after our own citizens. We are not a bottomless pit that can care for the whole world and this isn’t about one person, its about millions who see uk as the way forward. We have to be realistic

Mr Onikosie describes the British state as a ‘capitalist, racist system’ and yet sees this as the only way to live and survive in. Cant be that bad, can it? There seems to be a contridiction here. You describe britian, and implicity british people, as racist and then expect support an finance to see you through your health issues. Could only happen in britian, which is likely why so many seek refuge here.

The racist comments here make me sick. This case is about the government killing someone because of their nationality. Pure and simple. Surely everyone has a human right to healthcare? Whining about who pays for it is a Scrooge mentality, like someone else’s life is worth less than your money.

Nigeria doesn’t have a good healthcare system because it was colonised and ruined by the UK, and is now sucked dry by international debt – which is being sucked up by the British elite.

Meanwhile, the NHS is quite happy to brain-drain countries like Nigeria, hiring their doctors to work in the UK, and further preventing them from catching up.

Then a sick person needs healthcare and the racist morons say “eff off and die”. The same racist morons who want money wasted on police and prisons. The same racist morons who will scream for the end to civil liberties because one or two people get killed by terrorists. Who say that billions on repression is worth it if “even one life is saved”. People for whom human life goes from absolute value to zero value, based on arbitrary variables of skin colour and where someone is born.

History will judge you people as harshly as it has judged the Nazis.

I am concerned that one of the commenters thinks that everyone who disagrees with him is a racist. People who unreflectively advocate open borders are the racists, with their shallow ‘multiculturalism’ which objectifies people of other cultures; difference for the sake of difference, ideals over reality. Dear ‘anti-immigration racists make me sick commenter, ‘ please promise the people of Britain you will never vote in any election, or take up a career as a writer; you might pass as a comedian.

advocating humane immigration / national interests are not the same as “open borders”…

OK so britain may owe its citizens more, but in the 21st century if we have to deport people that will die when they are, then we are either economically or morally bankrupt.