Home Office in threat to deport Northamptonshire NHS paramedic

The 33-year-old man, born in the Czech Republic, came to the UK at the age of 26 to work as a paramedic for the National Health Service (NHS). Since then, he has only been briefly outside of the country and has no criminal convictions.

Pavel Klim was granted pre-settled status in November 2019, which allowed him to live and work in the UK for five years. However, this year, the Home Office in England refused him settled status, and as a result, his pre-settled status was also revoked.

Pavel has lodged an appeal against the decision and is trying to hold on to hope while continuing to work in the UK.

He said: “It’s horrible. I feel like I've been stabbed in the back because I'm working here for the public service. I'm doing my best for everyone around me. I'm living a very nice, calm life. I've settled down with my partner.

“That hit me really hard.”

Pavel moved to England in 2017 after completing his studies and earning his nursing and paramedic certifications in the Czech Republic.

“Since I was a teenager, I wanted to study and get some experience in England.

“In my country, as a paramedic, I had a good position already after two years there. I had a good salary. So it wasn't that. After one year, I actually realised I wanted to stay here,” he said.

While still in the Czech Republic, he applied online for a position with the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and he was hired soon after.

“I enjoy England. I enjoy the career path as a paramedic here,” said Pavel.

Pavel, who covers the Leicestershire region, resided in Leicester until 2020, at which point he relocated to Crick, Northamptonshire.

Under the European Union (EU) Settlement Scheme, he was granted pre-settled status by the Home Office in November 2019, allowing him to live and work in the UK for a maximum of five years, until November 2024.

“That was very clear and easy. (...) Everything was fine,” said Pavel.

Pavel applied for settled status—the right to live in the UK permanently—under the scheme in August 2023. His application was refused on April 23, 2024.

“This is my life, and they are telling me that I need to just give up my whole life and go back.

“It's rubbish because I can prove everything with the bills and my work shifts,” said Pavel.

According to a communication sent by the Home Office to Pavel on April 23, 2024, Pavel does not meet the requirements for pre-settled status for the same reasons he does not meet the requirements for settled status—he has not provided enough evidence to confirm that he is currently completing a continuous qualifying period of residence in the country.

The email claims there are several gaps in Pavel’s residence in the UK, but when this newspaper contacted the Home Office to confirm the exact dates, they stated that they do not comment on individual cases due to a "longstanding government policy."

Pavel could be removed from the UK if his application is rejected.

He said that he had questioned whether it would be worthwhile to remain in the UK, but he would have to relocate to the Czech Republic with his British partner.

“It's sad because he shouldn't be losing his homeland as well. It's been dragging me down. It's something that really plays on my mental health as well, but I'm trying just to hold onto hope, keep going, and do my job like nothing has changed,” said Pavel.

People can switch from pre-settled to settled status once they have lived in the country continuously for five years, counting from the day they moved abroad.

A person who has lived in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for five years in a row must have spent at least six months of each 12-month period there. This is known as five years of continuous residence.

Pavel has been asked to provide several documents to the Home Office since last year to prove his eligibility for settled status.

He claims that the Home Office's consistent reaction to all of his documentation—which included identification documents, P60 forms, a letter from his employer, utility bills, and pay slips—was that they needed additional or other types of evidence.

People can send their National Insurance number to allow an automated check of their residence based on tax and certain benefit records.

In Pavel’s case, he claimed to have been told that his National Insurance number could not be matched with the government’s records.

The Home Office emailed Pavel to say that they could not accept his P60 form as proof as they were unable to verify it since it did not appear when they searched for his National Insurance number.

According to Pavel, the Home Office rejected the letter from East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which said that he has been working with them since January 2017, because the company is not “on the trusted list.”

Pavel had to appeal against this decision last month, and he is currently relying on his Certificate of Application as evidence of his residence rights until the appeal is finally determined.

He had spent £950 so far for the appeal and was informed by his solicitors that he might have to cover more fees down the road.

“I'm a bit lucky for the job I've got, and I've got a family behind me here who is helping from my partner's side. But some people come here with their families to work for a minimum wage, and that's what's really dragging me down because I feel like they probably, at this stage, would just say that they’re going back,” said Pavel.

The appeal agreement is yet to be decided.