Thousands of Windrush generation records proving they’re living in Britain legally are FOUND despite fears Home Office had shredded them
TENS of thousands of arrival records for the Windrush generation have been FOUND in the National Archives - after months of residents being threatened with deportation.
The shock find strengthens the case for those people struggling to prove their citizenship after the Home Office destroyed their landing slips.
The Windrush generation arrived on British shores between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries, when families were brought over to help rebuild post-war Britain.
They are named after the Empire Windrush ship which carried members of the Commonwealth countries to the UK in June 1948.
Ledgers discovered in the archives after an investigation by , include the details of all passenger arrivals at British ports from the late 19th century until 1960, with more than 85,000 from Jamaica and Trinidad.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced yesterday that Caribbean-born Brits who were wrongly told to leave the country may be given pay-offs, as she made a grovelling apology to those affected.
She has vowed that the Government will pay them back for any costs they incur because of the Home Office blunders.
The arrival records could be key for the Windrush generation proving their right to stay in the UK, giving them evidence to support their applications, because their landing cards were destroyed eight years ago - despite Home Office staff warning it would cause problems for older Caribbean born residents.
Some Brits have been denied crucial medical treatment and benefits because of the debacle, and struggled to prove they are here legally.
Londoner Albert Thompson has tax and national insurance records dating back decades, but was told he would have to fork out £54,000 to pay for radiotherapy to tackle cancer.
Others have lost jobs because of uncertainty over their residency status while Leighton Robinson, 58, was left stranded in Jamaica for almost two years after he took a holiday and wasn't allowed home.
Satbir Singh, Chief Executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Migrants, told the Financial Times that he remains concerned for any members of the Windrush generation who arrived in the country after 1960.
The records also do not cover those who arrived by air.
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