Visa loss a 'disaster' for Birmingham-based NHS doctor
- Published
Visa loss a 'disaster' for Birmingham NHS doctor
A doctor stripped of his UK visa due to a late tax payment said the move had been a "disaster" for his family.
Dr Syed Kazmi was employed as a junior doctor at a hospital in Birmingham until January.
The medic's visa was refused, despite him paying the tax he owed. He returned to Pakistan, the country of his birth, and has since found work in Australia.
Before becoming home secretary, Sajid Javid wrote to the Home Office three times about Dr Kazmi's situation.
Since his Home Office appointment, Mr Javid has announced a review of a decision taken to remove people's visas based on tax discrepancies.
Dr Kazmi had worked in the UK for almost a decade and was most recently employed at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
"I had to leave everything," he said. "My house, my bank accounts. Everything. We have had to restart our lives.
"This was a disaster for me and my family.
"My oldest daughter didn't know Pakistan. She speaks only English."
Dr Syed Kazmi has found work in Tasmania, Australia, while his family remain in Pakistan
Dr Kazmi was advised he cannot reapply for the UK visa as it would be refused again and he is classed as a "persona non grata".
He is awaiting the outcome of the review ordered by Mr Javid and whether it gives him a potential right of appeal.
A petition supporting Dr Kazmi was signed by 35,000 people.
Dr David Nicholl, a Royal College of Physicians tutor, described his treatment as "appalling".
"The NHS would fall down tomorrow if it wasn't for migrants that come in, they're the absolute backbone of the NHS."
The Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases and would not confirm whether Dr Kazmi's case was one being reviewed.
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