British Home Office mentions Iraq in ‘copy and paste’ refusal letter to Jamaican man

O’Neil Wallfall, 49, is caring for his terminally ill partner in the UK

Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the cut in the terrorism threat level. AFP

A Jamaican man caring for his terminally ill partner in Britain was told by the country’s Home Office that he “failed to demonstrate that him and his wife would be at risk in Iraq”, in what appeared to be a “copy and paste” letter where his identity was confused with someone else’s.

O’Neil Wallfall, 49, lives with his British partner, Karen McQueen, 49, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and is awaiting a kidney transplant.

Mr Wallfall, who's never been to Iraq, has been in the UK since 2002 and has been in a relationship with Ms McQueen for three years, The Guardian reported. The couple said that she is dependent on him for support with her serious health conditions.

In the letter however, the Home Office said that it didn’t believe the couple’s relationship was genuine because Mr Wallfall’s name is not with MS McQueen’s on their tenancy agreement.

The Jamaican national was upset and angry that the Home Office decided that his relationship with Ms McQueen wasn’t genuine.

Mr Wallfall’s lawyer said that the letter sent to him by the Home Office shows clear evidence of “copies and pastes” and disregards individual submissions when reaching its conclusions, which said: “You have claimed that you will be unlawfully killed on return to Iraq … you have not demonstrated … that death is virtually certain.”

Mr Wallfall told The Guardian: "The Home Office should not have made the mistake of saying I'm from Iraq. How could they have considered my case properly if they wrote things like that in the refusal letter?"

He added that his life would be at risk from gang violence if he’s sent back to Jamaica.

“My case should have been considered properly without cut-and-paste information about Iraq in it. The Home Office has treated me so unfairly. They locked me up in detention for many months. My mum died while I was locked up and I was taken to her funeral by immigration officers,” he added.

“O’Neil is a good man and he could contribute so much to our society if he was allowed to,” Ms McQueen said. “I can’t believe the Home Office refused his case because they said he couldn’t prove he would be in danger in Iraq.

“Going through all of this with O’Neil has made me feel as if I’m under the control of immigration myself. O’Neil is a loving, caring and supportive partner. Being with him and having his help and support has given me a new lease of life despite my terminal illness.”