Nigerian
mother of quintuplets ‘fights’ to remain in the UK
A
Nigerian, Bimbo Ayelobola, who gave birth to a set of quintuplets while on a
visit to UK,
may soon be deported if her application for visa extension fails.
Mrs
Ayelobola, 33, was granted a six-month visa in December to visit her relations
in London but gave birth to three girls and two
boys at Homerson Hospital, in April.
She
is now seeking for a six-month extension of her visa because she considers her
quintuplets too frail to travel.
Mrs
Ayelobola told journalists that she took fertility drug ‘Clomid’ in 2010 in Lagos and when she discovered she was pregnant in
November, she applied for a visa to visit her sisters in London.
“I
had already had miscarriages and couldn’t bear the stress another pregnancy
will cause.
“I
decided to visit my family in London;
I thought I would stand a better chance of avoiding another miscarriage in a
calmer place with friends and family,” she said.
She
further said she wanted to remain in the UK so that she and the children
would continue to get the support of her relations.
Meanwhile,
hospital sources told the Europe correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) in London
that the babies were delivered after “a complex” caesarean section.
“The
five babies were each treated in a special-care unit at a cost of about 1,000
pounds a day because they were born prematurely.
“This
would cost 35,000 pounds for a week’s care which she cannot afford to pay,” the
source said.
Reacting,
the United Kingdom Border Agency, which handles immigration matters, said it
would thoroughly investigate any reports of anyone breaking the terms of their
visas.
An
official, who craved anonymity, told NAN that
the agency officials frequently reported cases of passengers arriving in an
advanced state of pregnancy after securing visitor’s visa.
“About
150 cases a year have been identified at Gatwick Airport
including some who have used the National Health Service (NHS) for previous
births and have not paid their bills,” the source said.
The
source also said the quintuplets did not have an automatic right to British
citizenship, in spite of being born in the UK.
“To
qualify, they would need at least one parent who is British, or who has
indefinite leave to remain in the country,” the source added.
NAN
recalls that the UK
government in March announced new immigration rules which stated that any
overseas visitor owing more than 1,000 pounds under the NHS will not be allowed
into the country until the debt was paid off.
It
also stipulated more robust procedures for charging foreign nationals who use
the NHS.
Source:
NAN
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