Shreyas Royal can stay in the UK

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Good news from the Guardian:

A nine-year-old chess prodigy has been told he does not have to leave the UK when his father’s work visa expires, a move that has been welcomed by MPs and chess organisations in Britain.

Shreyas Royal has lived in the UK since he was three but was told he would be sent back to India when the work visa expires in September. 

On Friday, his father, Jitendra Singh, said he had received an email that morning, informing him of the Home Office’s change of mind. 

"They just emailed me and told me they had considered my case and we are allowed to extend our leave to remain on tier 2 general route," Singh said. 

"We are very happy and Shreyas is very happy. He jumped up on the sofa when he heard the news. I want to thank all those who helped and supported us ... I would also like to thank the Home Office and the home secretary who considered our case." 

I blogged about this case last week.

Of course not everyone who wants to stay in Britain is the parent of a budding genius, and I hope this affair will not add to the pressure on Shreyas.

But if it shows people how hard it is for people to settle in Britain and reminds them that immigration is not a universally negative phenomenon, then fighting to overturn the original decision will have been worthwhile.