​I am living in this beautiful country England for 23 years.
I was here for the 9/11 Anniversary (2002)
I was here during London bombing which kills 52 people. (2005)
I was here when Usain Bolt from my country Jamaica broke many records at the London Olympics (2012)
I was here when Sir Anthony Blair was Prime Minister.
I was here with no children; I am now a mother of 2 British children.
I was here during some of the toughest snow storms.
Ohhh Yes Sir I was definitely here during Covid-19.
Mr. Prime Minister Sir
Why am I constantly having to renew my leave to remain every 2.5 years on the 10-year route?
Sir, why can't I attend university with my 2.5 years leave to remain?
Sir why do we keep having visa fee hikes,
Sir it was just February 2024 when we saw a massive NHS surcharge fee hike
We have not even recovered yet from that, and now again!
Another visa application fee hike?!
Sir, why am I still under the 10 years route?
Sir Prime Minister when am I going to stop asking why?

This month has been exciting for RAMFEL - from meeting a new ally in Parliament to celebrating a legal victory that is already changing lives. Here’s what we’ve been up to.
​Meeting our local MP – Uma Kumaran
This month, we had the privilege of meeting Uma Kumaran, the MP for Stratford and Bow. Given that RAMFEL’s office is based in Stratford, we see this as an exciting opportunity to work closely with an MP who represents many of the people we support.
During our meeting, we highlighted some of the biggest challenges that refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants face when navigating the UK’s immigration system. This included:

• The repeated and expensive renewals of Leave to Remain applications
• Poor decision-making in family reunion cases for people in conflict zones
• The urgent need for a fee waiver for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications, so that people are not priced out of securing permanent immigration status

Uma and her team were shocked by many of these realities. We look forward to working with her in the future.

Bereaved Partner Concession – Our First Fee Waiver Granted
Last year, RAMFEL won a landmark legal battle that forced the government to introduce a fee waiver for bereaved partners. This month, we saw the first approval granted using this waiver – saving a grieving widow, who had cared for her husband until his passing, thousands of pounds and securing her immigration status.
This victory is more than just a financial win; it provides stability and security for a grieving widow who otherwise might have faced losing her immigration status. It is also a testament to how our legal work has a direct and life-changing impact on the people we support.
Our new campaign - Indefinite Leave to Remain Fee Waiver
We’re excited to share that we have launched an Early Day Motion  (EDM) calling for a fee waiver for ILR applications - and we already have 26 MPs from 7 parties signed on in support!
An EDM is a tool MPs use to highlight pressing issues, and it helps organisations like RAMFEL identify which MPs are aligned with the change we want to see. Every MP who signs is helping to bring the need for an ILR fee waiver into the political conversation. This campaign is just beginning, and we’ll keep pushing until real change happens.
Casework Success
As well as our campaigning work, this month our casework team have achieved huge amounts for our clients. In March, we secured: 

• 18 people permanent immigration status
• 6 people British citizenship
• 40 people Leave to Remain