Windrush Generation: Grandmother Wins Right to Remain

Comfort Olufunmilayo Olawo

For over half a century, Comfort Olufunmilayo Olawo, an 82-year-old grandmother and proud member of the Windrush generation, lived between two worlds, Nigeria and the UK. Despite building a life in Britain, raising children there, and contributing to its workforce, she spent the last five decades navigating a bureaucratic labyrinth that forced her to travel between continents every six months.

But today, Comfort can finally rest.After nearly 300,000 air miles, dozens of tourist visa applications, and years of personal sacrifice, she has been granted permanent residency in the United Kingdom again. "It will be nice to have a rest at last," she says, with the quiet dignity of someone who has fought a long and exhausting battle.

A British Life Interrupted

Comfort’s British story began in 1966 when she first arrived in the UK. Later that same year, she married her husband, Emmanuel Layiwola Olawo, in Islington, North London. Both were granted indefinite leave to remain and began building their life together.

Comfort secured a job as a typist at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers one she recalls with great pride. “I was a very good typist and I loved my job,” she says.

The couple had two children in London. When Comfort became pregnant with their third, she made a deeply personal and practical decision to return to Nigeria for the birth, where she would have the support of her extended family. She took the older children with her, planning to return to the UK soon after.But plans changed. Life unfolded differently, and by the time she was ready to return, more than two years had passed.

A Technicality That Cost Decades

Under UK immigration law, anyone with indefinite leave to remain who stays outside the UK for over two years automatically loses that status. And that’s what happened to Comfort.

Despite having legally earned her right to remain, she found herself classified as a visitor in the country she once called home. For the next 50 years, her only legal option was to apply annually for a six-month visitor visa. She scrupulously followed the rules, never overstayed, and spent tens of thousands of pounds on travel and visa fees just to maintain her connection with her husband and children in the UK.

“It’s been a long road. I belong to the UK, and at last I have peace,” she reflects.

Her children, grandchildren, and late husband all based in the UK remained her anchor, even when the system refused to recognize her place.

A Turning Point at 82

Thanks to recent policy changes, including the introduction of a returning resident visa, Comfort’s lawyer filed a fresh application on her behalf and won. Represented by Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, Comfort finally had her indefinite leave to remain reinstated. The UK Home Office acknowledged her rightful claim to permanent settlement after more than 50 years of administrative delay and rigid interpretation of rules.

“This is very good news,” said her daughter June Alawode. “It has not been easy for my mum. Every year we faced the stress of applying for a visa, buying a ticket, and preparing for another trip. She’s amazing, but it wore her out.”

June also highlighted how the back-and-forth affected their family life: “As children, we went back and forth to Nigeria with our mum. My childhood was between two countries. I just had to accept it.” With her husband having passed away three years ago, Comfort’s family now wants her to enjoy the peace she so richly deserves.

A Symbol of Injustice and Hope

Her lawyer, Kandiah, called her story “a glaring example of historical immigration injustice.” He added, “Her case underscores the enduring harm caused by inflexible immigration rules. Comfort’s journey reminds us of the urgent need for a more humane immigration system one that values history, contributions, and family unity.”

As public attention remains fixed on the broader Windrush scandal, Comfort Olawo’s victory is both a personal triumph and a symbol of the quiet suffering so many have endured under unjust policies. She didn’t seek fame only fairness. And after 50 years, she finally received it.

Comfort now lives in Oldham, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She smiles in the garden beside her daughter, relieved that her days of exhausting transcontinental travel are over. “My children were getting worried I was too old to go back and forth,” she says. “Now, I’m home.”