Eulalee Pennant, 64, originally from Jamaica, arrived in the UK in 2001 and was granted a student visa. At one point, her immigration case was stuck in a Home Office backlog for a decade. She was granted discretionary leave to remain in 2019 on the basis of family life with her partner Gilford Fraser, a British national and Windrush descendant, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica in 1968 aged 12. Pennant’s residence permit expired in January this year. He has submitted a new application for a further residence permit but is still waiting for it to be processed by the Home Office. She worked as a caregiver during the pandemic and was a music performer under the stage name LadyP Lioness, but was diagnosed with stage 4 small round sarcoma in April and was given just months to live by her doctors. Pennant does not rely on public funds, so she cannot access benefits that could make her final months more comfortable. So far she has not been charged for her NHS treatment, but it is feared Fraser could be left with a huge bill after her death. She has received emails from the hospital’s foreign visitors department asking for proof of her permission to remain in the UK. The couple live in a third-floor flat in Hackney with no lift. Pennant is confined to the house, except when an ambulance crew carries her up the stairs for a hospital appointment. Her MP, Diane Abbott, wrote to the Home Office asking them to expedite her application for further leave to remain, but officials replied that while they were sorry for Pennant’s ill health, they would not expedite the application despite Pennant’s limited time . let him live. In the Aug. 6 letter, officials said the type of application Pennant submitted does not have a target response time, and while these applications are reviewed as quickly as possible, “there may be circumstances that result in an extended delay in the processing time of the application. “. The letter added that because he was receiving NHS care, officials concluded that it was “not appropriate to expedite the application on the grounds provided”. Eulalee Pennant with her partner, Gilford Fraser. Photo: Teri Pengilley/The Guardian Her family, friends and supporters have called on the Home Office to grant her access to public funds, as well as asking the department to expedite and process the application before Pennant dies. Pennant has endured many hardships and tragedies in her life, in Jamaica and the UK, including the murder of her son Michael Phillips in Jamaica in 2009. She died of multiple gunshot wounds in June 2009, months after being deported from United Kingdom. In 2018, at the height of the Windrush scandal, the Home Office detained her and threatened to deport her to Jamaica. He has campaigned vigorously for justice for the victims of Windrush. Fraser said: “The things he has been through are horrendous. It’s hard to dream of the things she’s been through and the scars she’s been left with. When you see someone crying and you can’t do anything about it, it’s the worst thing.” Pennant said: “If the Home Office had settled my case, my life would be a million times better than it is now. They have messed with my life for so many years. Their treatment is cruel, it is hostile, it is racism. I have struggled a lot in my life. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this.” Her supporters have set up a fund to pay for the basics for her because she has no access to benefits. Advocate for justice Karen Doyle, who is supporting Pennant, urged the Home Office to grant Pennant leave with public funds as a matter of urgency. “This simple act would remove the unbearable burden of worrying about how to survive financially and relieve the stress caused by fears of being billed for medical care, how to pay the bills, keep the house warm and survive the next months”. Home Office sources said they did not routinely comment on individual cases, that applications were considered on their merits and that they tried to deal with them as quickly as possible.
