Jeanell Hippolyte, a 41-year-old woman residing in East Dulwich, is fighting against what she calls a “historic injustice” after being denied leave to remain in the UK. Her father, Cletus Hippolyte, was part of the Windrush generation that arrived in the UK in 1956. Jeanell’s siblings were granted leave to remain under the Windrush Scheme due to their father’s status, but she has been unsuccessful in her attempts for over two decades.
Jeanell’s judicial review claim against the Home Secretary’s decision was heard in the High Court, with a decision expected in the new year. The Home Office has not commented on the ongoing legal proceedings. Jeanell followed her father to the UK in 2000 at the age of 17 but had to leave when her student visa expired in 2002. She returned in 2020 and has been living in East Dulwich since then.
The Home Office argues that Jeanell has not been a continuous resident in the UK since 2000, which is why her application has been denied. However, her lawyers at Leigh Day contend that it was her father’s delayed status that forced her to leave, preventing her from meeting the continuous residence criteria. Jeanell expressed her desire to correct this injustice not just for herself but for all Windrush generation children impacted by similar loopholes.
Her brothers, Denzel and Danny Hippolyte, who arrived in the UK in 2007, were granted indefinite leave to remain through the Windrush Scheme and became naturalized citizens in 2019. Her sister, Sherryanne Desmangles, also obtained British citizenship through the scheme in 2018. According to Freya Danby, a solicitor at Leigh Day, Jeanell should not be treated differently from her siblings simply because she had to leave the UK at 19 to comply with immigration rules.
It is argued that more flexibility should be introduced in the Windrush Scheme to ensure fair outcomes for individuals like Jeanell. She hopes for a resolution that will allow her to permanently live in the UK like her family members. Jeanell’s case sheds light on the challenges faced by the Windrush generation and the need for a more compassionate and inclusive approach to immigration policies.
