A letter sent in 2015 would change Farhad's life forever
Besides one trip back to Iran three years later, he has never returned to his country of birth. In fact, he has hardly left the UK.
"My flat in Chester had two bedrooms," he said. "It was like a luxury flat, five minutes from Chester station in a place called Hoole.Due to his status, Farhad had no access to public funds which meant he could not claim any benefits while out of work. With the help of charities such as the Booth Centre, he found himself moving around homeless shelters in Manchester, contemplating suicide.
But at some point, Farhad lost his passport. And because he did not have his Iranian birth certificate, he did not apply for a new one. Farhad was instructed to go to Liverpool where his fingerprints, picture and other details were taken. He also had to report to the UK Border Agency, which was based at Chester Police Station, on a regular basis to prove that, in his words, he had not 'absconded'.
With no right to work, he had to give up his job, his company car and his 'luxury' flat and moved in with his sister and her husband in North Wales. He was a secondary carer for his sister who required 24-hour support, helping her husband who had Parkinson's disease. While living at Etrop Grange, homeless accommodation at a hotel in Wythenshawe near Manchester Airport, Farhad was feeling suicidal. He credits the Booth Centre who supported him by giving him 'mental exercises' that got him through this 'difficult time'.
"I know I'm better off than a lot of people with no recourse to public funds - a lot better off," he says. "But I'm living on £7.50 a day." He claims the Home Office said they had no records on him, despite his passport picture appearing in a letter they sent him. This leads him to conclude that someone must have reported him to the authorities - a thought that weighs heavily on his mind until today.
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