A student at the University of Stirling has spoken out about the conditions of his 2 month long detention at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre near Strathaven in South Lanarkshire.
Speaking to the National, Muhammad Rauf Waris has allegedly suffered mentally and physically while he is being held, and he believes that he has been detained without good reason.
Waris left his mother and six sisters behind in Pakistan to study business management with the hopes of expanding his family dairy farm.
Waris believed the University of Stirling to be one of the best places he could further his education.
“I am a student, I need to make my degree, my degree is my priority and my goal and my ambition.”
Alongside studying for his postgraduate degree, he had also been working at a local grocery store in Glasgow, and commuting between Stirling and Rutherglen where he was living.
Visa Violations
On June 15, officers arrested Waris at his place of work after he had allegedly worked more than the 20 specified hours for UK student visa holders.
The Home Office is claiming that they possess credible evidence to support the arrest but have not shared this with the media.
A senior solicitor at McGlashan MacKay, Denise Okan, has said that Waris’ lawyers have been ignored when presenting evidence that allegedly demonstrates he had not gone over the 20 hour limit.
Speaking to the National, Okan said “Detention should be used as a last resort and only where removal is imminent. Despite this, Mr Waris has been detained for over six weeks, and no removal directions have been set.”
She is concerned about the lack of response regarding the case and continues, “The representations that we have made along with evidence to substantiate our client’s claim that he was not working in breach of his student visa have gone unanswered, without the courtesy of a reply for the entirety of his time in detention.
“We are preparing grounds for challenge by way of judicial review and have a bail hearing listed for this coming Tuesday.”
Eyes on the case
His detention has gained national attention and scrutiny, with many calling on the Home Office to disclose why Waris has been detained for so long.
The open letter headed by Amnesty at University of Stirling, Student Action for Refugees Stirling, NUS Scotland and No Evictions Network continues to gain signatures and can be found here.
Alyn Smith, the SNP MP for Stirling, has also written in a letter to the Home Office that the length of time was “completely unacceptable.”
A Home Office spokesperson said “Illegal working causes untold harm to our communities, cheating honest workers out of employment, putting vulnerable people at risk, and defrauding the public purse.
“The Government is tackling illegal immigration and the harm it causes by removing those with no right to be in the UK.”
Waris is hopeful he will be released and wants to complete his studies, moving on to a PhD but adds it is unlikely this will be in the UK.
“I am still suffering, my mother and my sisters are suffering and pray for me, I out as soon as possible. Right now is a very stressful moment of my life and my family.”
Featured Image Credit: Muhammad Rauf Waris
3rd year English and Journalism student, passionate about social change, Formala 1 and everything in between.
[…] my mind for weeks. Sunak and the government are making it more difficult and expensive. And now a Stirling student, Muhammad Rauf Waris, has been detained for 2 months on grounds of violating his vi…, but with no evidence presented in support of that. The treatment of the case and the individual is […]
[…] Muhammad Rauf Waris has been detained in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre for the past 2 months, after coming to Stirling from Pakistan to study business management. He has said that he is mentally and physically ill. The Home Office claims to possess credible evidence that he worked more than the 20 hours a week outlined in his visa conditions. A senior solicitor at McGlashan MacKay, Denise Okan, has said that Waris’ lawyers have been ignored when presenting evidence that allegedly demonstrates he had not exceeded this limit. […]
[…] Muhammad Rauf Waris has been detained in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre for the past 2 months, after coming to Stirling from Pakistan to study business management. He has said that he is mentally and physically ill. The Home Office claims to possess credible evidence that he worked more than the 20 hours a week outlined in his visa conditions. A senior solicitor at McGlashan MacKay, Denise Okan, has said that Waris’ lawyers have been ignored when presenting evidence that allegedly demonstrates he had not exceeded this limit. […]