In the UK, there are a lot of Indian immigrants, among which a majority of them are from the Sikh community. There have been instances where some of them have been deported to India by the UK government. A recent case of deportation is of a 78-year-old Sikh woman, Gurmit Kaur. The community has started a campaign ‘We Are All Gurmit Kaur’ in her support—here’s all about it.
What Is ‘We Are All Gurmit Kaur’ Campaign?
Since it was first made public in 2019, the case of an elderly Indian Sikh woman has garnered a lot of sympathy from the local community in the West Midlands area of England. Her supporters are fighting to prevent her deportation. Gurmit Kaur, 78, moved to Smethwick in 2009 and has lived there ever since, according to an Internet petition that was started in July 2020 and has received over 65,000 signatures.
More lately, as the neighbourhood has continued to support the widow, “We Are All Gurmit Kaur” has become popular on social media. According to the petition on Change.org, Gurmit Kaur was adopted by the Sikh community in Smethwick because she had no relatives in Punjab or the UK to return to. Gurmit, who has no family in Punjab, India, has applied to stay but has been turned down.
Gurmit is a very generous and giving woman who, despite her lack of everything, constantly gives what she can, when she can. She spends the majority of her days helping at the gurdwara in her community. According to the UK Home Office, Kaur could easily reintegrate into her Punjabi village because she was still in contact with the locals there.
Also Read: US Mission To India: US Exceeds Granting Over 1 Million Non-Immigrant Visas From India In 2023
The Petition And A Brutal Ordeal
Salman Mirza initiated the petition and is assisting the woman with her visa appeals and stated that her ordeal has been like torture. He is an immigration advisor for the Brushstroke Community Project. He stated that she lives in a run-down, roofless house in the village and needs to locate resources, food, and heating in a place she hasn’t visited in eleven years. She has never had the right to work and support herself, so it’s like a slow death and water torture.
A Home Office spokesman stated that all applications are carefully evaluated on their own merits and the basis of the evidence presented, even if the agency is unable to comment on specific cases. When Gurmit Kaur first visited the UK in 2009 for a wedding, she was residing with her son. Her family had grown apart, and she was left to rely on the goodwill of others. She is well-liked in her neighbourhood, where she frequently lends a hand to charitable organisations.
Sadly, this is not the only case of deportation. Earlier, over 100 Indian students were deported from the US even after securing admission to the universities. There isn’t an official declaration from US authorities, but sources suggest that the deported students didn’t fit certain requirements.
Also Read: With No High IELTS Or CRS Score Required, This Is The Easiest Canada Immigration Program
Financial stability, offensive social media posts, and inadequate answers in immigration interviews are allegedly some of these requirements.
Cover Image Courtesy: #WeAreAllGurmitKaur/ X (Formerly, Twitter)
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