Abdul Hassan: Gifted Stoke Newington teenager wins deportation battle after 30,000 sign petition to Home Office
Abdul Hassan and friend Vanya Chulkov celebrate this week outside the Stoke Newington School gates. Picture: Catherine Davison - Credit: Archant
A gifted Stoke Newington teenager is dreaming of the future after winning his battle to remain in the UK.
Abdal Hassan is pictured here speaking at Stoke Newington School's community evening. Picture by Nathan Holmes - Credit: Archant
Resounding cheers rang out from friends and family of Abdul Hassan yesterday morning (Thursday) after a judge ruled at a tribunal in Feltham that Abdul Hassan’s “exemplary character” had earned him the right to continue on a career path that looks set to be packed with promise.
Abdul – who had bagged a place on a highly sought-after apprenticeship with KPMG after finishing his A-levels at Stoke Newington School – received the devastating news earlier this year that his application for leave to remain had been denied.
The Home Office had cited his “close family ties” in Bangladesh, despite the fact he has not seen any of his family there since he moved to Hackney at the age of five.
With the 19-year-old’s future hanging in the balance, his friends took action and within months a petition calling for Abdul to remain in the UK had been signed by close to 30,000 people.
Abdul Hassan (fourth from the right on the front row) with his army of supporters outside IAC Hatton Cross court in Feltham after successfully winning his appeal against being deported from the UK - Credit: Archant
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Although he will have to wait a few weeks for his successful appeal to be officially ratified, Abdul told the Gazette he is relieved the ordeal is over and is looking forward to mapping out his future.
“It is an amazing feeling,” he said. “Despite the distance to travel, and the fact that some of my friends had exams, there were still 25 people there to see the judge rule in my favour.
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“I was so nervous before the end, but hopeful as well that the judge would make the right decision.
“I really want to thank all my friends and family, as well as the wider community, who supported me despite not knowing me, for their amazing help throughout this process.”
Abdul Hassan outside his old school. Picture: Catherine Davison - Credit: Archant
KPMG – which vowed to keep a place open for Abdul pending on the result of his hearing – has invited him in for a meeting next week, with a view to starting his apprenticeship in September as planned.
Abdul moved here in 2004 to live with an aunt. Both his parents were ill; later, his father died and his mother’s mental health deteriorated.
At 16, he did not receive a National Insurance number, and he had never been issued any ID or travel documents to work legally or travel abroad.
Diane Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, had given her complete support to Abdul’s plight earlier this year, telling the Gazette: “Hackney is Abdul’s home and he should be allowed to stay.”
A petition was launched to stop former Stoke Newington School studdent Abdul Hassan from being deported from the UK. Picture by Nathan Holmes. - Credit: Archant
