Man Who Said He Would Make Up a Reason to Stay in UK Wins Right to Remain and People are Stunned

An Iraqi asylum seeker who openly admitted he didn’t have a real reason to stay in the UK and asked for time to “make up a reason” has now been granted the right to remain and the decision is raising more than a few eyebrows.

The man, who arrived in Britain in 2016 hidden inside a lorry, has spent the last nine years battling to avoid deportation. In his initial interview, he made no attempt to hide his situation, telling officials, “I don’t have a real reason to be here. Give me some time, and I will make up a reason”, reported The Express.

Despite that, his legal case continued, with his initial asylum claim being denied by the Home Office in 2019. He then launched two appeals, both unsuccessful — one in 2020 and another in 2022. But the fight didn’t stop there.

Eventually, the case made its way to an upper tribunal, where things took a turn. During an April hearing, the man said he had been abducted, detained, and tortured by ISIS. A medical expert from Freedom From Torture supported this claim, confirming that his body showed signs of injuries and scars “consistent with torture,” including one on his arm that matched his story of a failed amputation.

The doctor did acknowledge that some of the man’s descriptions of what he’d been through had changed slightly across different interviews. But she said this was not unusual for survivors of trauma and found his account credible overall. The man has also been diagnosed with complex PTSD.

The Home Office, however, wasn’t convinced. Officials pointed to his original comment about inventing a reason to stay as proof that his story wasn’t reliable. But his legal team argued that this remark, made during a highly stressful and “oppressive” interview, shouldn’t carry much weight — especially since the proper safeguards weren’t in place at the time.

In the end, the judges agreed. The panel concluded that the man had suffered serious abuse at the hands of ISIS and other militia groups, and without family or identity documents, returning him to Iraq would be dangerous.

Deputy Judge Paul Lewis stated: “We note the interview took place shortly after the [man] had arrived in the UK having been concealed in a lorry for at least the duration of the crossing. We find the [man] made this remark intentionally reflecting his reasons for coming to the UK.

“The [asylum seeker] did not, as he put it, ‘have a real reason to be here’. Despite that, at this time, he cannot be safely returned. We allow the [man’s] claim for humanitarian protection on this ground.”

While supporters of the decision say it highlights the complexity and trauma often behind asylum claims, others are left baffled, especially given how the case started. It’s one of those stories that’s bound to spark strong opinions — not just about the individual, but about the system itself.

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