Elderly Sri Lankan Couple Wins Right to Stay in the UK Due to Inadequate Medical Treatment at Home

An elderly Sri Lankan couple in their late 60s, who had come to the UK to visit their daughter and son-in-law in May 2022, has been granted the right to stay in the country after claiming that the treatment for high blood pressure in their home country was inadequate. The couple, who were granted anonymity by the court, initially entered the UK as visitors but later claimed asylum and appealed the decision after it was denied by the Home Office. The husband told an immigration tribunal that he was suffering from depression, severe anxiety, hypertension, and diabetes, and that he was unwilling to access care in Sri Lanka. An asylum judge agreed that sending them back would breach their human rights, and the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber ruled in favour of their claim.

Key Takeaways:

• The couple entered the UK in May 2022 as visitors and later claimed asylum due to inadequate medical treatment for their high blood pressure in Sri Lanka.
• The husband argued that he was suffering from depression, severe anxiety, hypertension, and diabetes, and that he was unwilling to access care in Sri Lanka.
• The asylum judge agreed that sending them back would breach their human rights, and the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber ruled in favour of their claim.
• The Home Office initially argued that the first judge had not shown that the husband was seriously ill, but the Upper Tribunal disagreed and ruled in favour of the couple's claim.
• The couple was granted anonymity by the court, but their names, ages, and medical conditions were disclosed in the court hearings.
• The couple's appeal was granted by the First-tier Tribunal, and the Home Office chose to appeal the asylum tribunal's findings, arguing that inadequacy of treatment is not the same as someone being unable to access it.

Sources:

• The Telegraph, unnamed reporters
• Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber