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Asylum-seeker wins in bid to remain in Britain
By Tom Fitzpatrick
 A
Serbian asylum-seeker working with the Irish community in London has expressed
her joy at being granted leave to stay in England.
Radmila Vujnovic has won the first round of her fight to stay in London
and continue working with the Irish community in Camden’s Irish
Centre.
She said: “I want to thank The Irish Post, the readers and all the
members of the Irish community for their support.”
Ms Vujnovic first applied for asylum when she arrived in London in 1999
but had since been knocked back in her attempts to stay.
Her friends started a campaign with a signed petition, which was sent
to the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration Liam Byrne.
The judge in Ms Vujnovic’s most recent appeal said that it was clear
she had become integrated into society and it would be a breach of her
humanitarian rights to send her home.
Ms Vujnovic said: “I can’t even express how happy I am.
“I am still waiting to find out my status for sure but it looks
so positive.
“The summary of the decision is that the appeal is allowed but I
still don’t know for sure what that means.”
Ms Vujnovic has been working on a voluntary basis at the Irish Centre
but hopes she will now be entitled to work on a full-time basis due to
the recent ruling allowing her to stay in London.
The Irish Centre’s director Peter Hammond had previously praised
Ms Vujnovic’s attitude.
He said: “Radmila is someone that is willing to work hard, is more
than capable of doing the job and has the right attitude.
“She is an invaluable and respected member of this small team and
a real asset to the centre.”
With her future looking far more secure, Ms Vujnovic feels she can finally
relax.
She said: “I have promised so many people that Ireland will be
the first place I will visit, so once I get my documents I will travel
there definitely.
“My husband Dragoslav and I have had an emergency bag packed in
case we were told we had to leave immediately.
“Now we can finally unpack the bag and we’re delighted, Dragoslav
is like a different man since the ruling.” |
