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England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions >> Farinloye & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWCA Civ 203 (11 March 2010) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2010/203.html Cite as: [2010] EWCA Civ 203 |
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COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
Mr Justice Collins
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
LORD JUSTICE RICHARDS
and
LORD JUSTICE JACKSON
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The Queen (on the application of Esther Farinloye and Others) |
Claimants/ Respondents |
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- and - |
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Secretary of State for the Home Department |
Defendant/ Appellant |
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Sonali Naik (instructed by Dexter Montague LLP) for the Respondents
Hearing date : 3 March 2010
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Crown Copyright ©
Lord Justice Richards :
The background in greater detail
"23. One fact of the delay in the Home Office making a decision between 2003 and 2006 is that both children would have gone a long way to completing their education within the United Kingdom. Indeed it is a factor that the United Kingdom has invested a significant amount of money in their education to date and it is clear that both children have achieved in spite of the uncertainty with their immigration status and therefore certainly as regards the effect upon them their education is likely to suffer a major setback if they are both removed to Nigeria at this juncture. They have been here through no fault of their own primarily because of their mother's decisions and secondly in part because of a delay occasioned by the Home Office."
"26. I find this a finely-balanced case and that taking all those factors into consideration I find that the decision to remove all three appellants falls on the peculiar facts of this case on the exceptional nature of the delay and the effect that that has had on the second and third appellants re-establishing themselves in the United Kingdom which is not an easy undertaking for children to do. I also had regard to the … well-publicised case of the Ukrainian student who in very similar circumstances was allowed to remain having had the support of Cambridge University and having obtained significant academic success ….
27. Immigration policy needs to be fair but firm but also needs to be consistent. I find that the education achievement and disruption that these two appellants would face is not vitiated by the fact that it was their mother's decision essentially who led to their coming to the United Kingdom in the first place and overstaying. These were not decisions to which they were party and certainly the delay between 2003 and 2006 cannot be laid at their door either.
28. I find that the balancing act in this case falls in favour of the peculiar facts of this case as falling into that category of an exceptional combination of circumstances envisaged by Huang and therefore this decision on a balance of probabilities is that this appeal should be allowed for the reasons stated. …"
"[A]s you are probably aware, Judge Herbert allowed their appeal against the decision of the Home Office refusing their application for ILR. …
The Home Office did not apply for a review of the determination and the time for requesting a review has now expired. Accordingly we respectfully ask that our clients be granted ILR in the United Kingdom in line with the determination of the Immigration Judge".
"I am writing to inform you that, although you do not qualify for leave to remain in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Rules, it has nonetheless been decided that discretion should be exercised in your favour. You have therefore been granted limited leave to remain in the United Kingdom in accordance with the principles set out in the Home Office Policy Instruction on Discretionary Leave. You have been granted Discretionary Leave to remain until 14 November 2009."
"Where the return of an individual would involve a breach of Article 8 of the ECHR (right to respect for private and family life) on the basis of family life established in the UK, they should be granted Discretionary Leave ….
...
It will normally be appropriate to grant the following periods of Discretionary Leave to those qualifying under the categories set out above. All categories will need to complete at least six years in total … before being eligible to apply for ILR.
Article 8 cases – three years …."
"4. Adeola started studying at Bristol University in September 2006. She started on a physiology course which she would then transfer from to go on to do medicine. Following grant of discretionary leave to remain in the UK, evidence of this was provided to the University. They advised us that Adeola would need to pay overseas fees which were likely to be in the region of around £13,000 to £14,000 per annum. Unfortunately we were not able to afford those fees and as a result Adeola left the University towards the end of the first year. We still owe the University fees for that first year of her studies. Given our inability to afford the fees, Adeola worked for one year to try to build some savings. Again we discussed the possibility of her pursuing further studies in the UK, but the cost was simply too prohibitive. As a result Adeola secured enrolment at Charles University in Prague. The fees at that University for a medicine course were £8,000 compared to around £14,000 in the UK. I have funded Adeola's studies with help from my brother.
5. Ayotunde started a law degree course at the University of Manchester in September 2007. We provided the University with the Judge's Determination and evidence regarding grant of discretionary leave. They agreed to accept her as a home student and she has been able to continue her studies.
6. Our discretionary leave was due to expire in November 2009. Shortly beforehand I applied for further leave for myself and both my daughters. Unfortunately Adeola's application was rejected and returned because she was not in the UK at the time of making the application. I was not aware that she could not make an application for extension of discretionary leave whilst outside the UK. I have now been advised that realistically unless my Judicial Review application succeeds, Adeola may not be able to return to the UK. It is ironic that our appeals were allowed on the basis that it would be unfair and unreasonable to return us overseas especially given the strong ties that my daughters had established in the UK but that one of my daughters has now effectively been excluded from the UK …."
The case before Collins J
"18. This case is different. The application that had been turned down by the Secretary of State was an application for indefinite leave to remain. The Immigration Judge reached his conclusion that there were exceptional circumstances based upon the daughters' education. It would have been open to him to have taken the view that it was not necessary or appropriate to give leave to remain for a period that went beyond that necessary to ensure that they could complete their education in this country. However, he did not put any such limitation expressly in his determination and, as has been properly pointed out by [counsel for the claimants], the Immigration Judge used the fact that they were only just short of the necessary seven years, which would have resulted in indefinite leave to remain, as one of the factors which weighed in the balance in enabling him to decide as he did.
19. It seems to me, in those circumstances, that the allowing of the appeal against the refusal to grant indefinite leave to remain meant that the result had to be the grant of indefinite leave to remain, unless the Immigration Judge made some directions or reached some findings which led to a different view being taken. It would have been open to the Secretary of State to have made an application to the Immigration Judge for clarification of the effect of his determination and asked him, if necessary, to make directions so that the Secretary of State could act in a way which was consistent with his determination.
…
21. Be that as it may, the result, in my judgment, is that, in the circumstances of this case (and I emphasise that it is the circumstances of this case that dictate this decision; there is nothing which can be regarded as a precedent in this), the result is that the letter granting only discretionary leave was wrong and that the only proper way to put into effect the decision of the Immigration Judge was to grant indefinite leave to remain."
The Secretary of State's appeal
The claimants' new grounds of challenge to the Secretary of State's decision
Conclusion
Lord Justice Jackson :
Lord Justice Dyson :