An elderly Polish woman is seeking to reunite with her son in the United Kingdom but faces the threat of deportation and forced separation due to the British Home Office’s refusal to accept her application to stay, which she submitted online instead of on paper. Elzbieta Olszewska, 80, has been living alone in Warsaw, while her son, Michal Olszewski, a 52-year-old aeronautical engineer residing in Lincoln with his wife, has been providing her support by traveling regularly to Poland. In an effort to bring his mother to the UK for proper care, Olszewski applied for her to live with him and his wife under the EU settlement scheme, a legal means for individuals in his situation to bring their parents to the United Kingdom.

Olszewska arrived in the UK in September on a six-month visitor visa, and the family submitted a complete and accurate application for her to settle in Britain before the visa expired. After six months of silence from the Home Office, the family received a response on March 25, indicating that their application was deemed invalid as it was submitted online. The Home Office assertion is that while the system is transitioning to online applications, some forms, including Olszewska’s, must still be completed on paper. The family was informed that not only was the application invalid, but as the visa had also expired, Olszewska risked detention, fines, imprisonment, and potential removal from the UK along with being banned from returning. Due to this application procedure error, Olszewska now lacks legal status in the UK, causing distress to her and her family. Elzbieta’s son, Olszewski, expressed anger and disappointment, highlighting the disconnect between the experience and the country’s reputation for law and democracy. The family’s solicitor, Katherine Smith, from Redwing Immigration, criticized the Home Office’s handling of the case, noting the severe consequences for such a procedural oversight and announced plans for judicial review proceedings. The Home Office continues its policy not to comment on individual cases.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/31/polish-woman-80-faces-deportation-home-office-application-mistake-online-paper