A CARE worker who was told he had until the end of July to leave the county will be able to stay until September.

Anugwom Izuchukwu Goodluck was working in care homes until the height of the lockdown in Britain when he was told by the Government to leave the UK.

Because his visa application was rejected, the 30-year-old could no longer work and he will be sent back to Nigeria, he said.

Contributions

The care worker was ordered to leave the country by the end of July despite his contributions towards fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

However, a Home Office update has now granted him permission to remain in the county until August 31.

He said: “They have given me a month of grace to leave or face deportation.

“I’m still hoping that with the support I’ve got from Members of Parliament, the Home Office can reverse their decision.

“The support I have received from everyone is the reason I’m still standing strong and hoping that things will work out for the good in the end.”

A fundraiser to help Mr Goodluck has raised more than £1,500 so far.

Mr Goodluck had cared for vulnerable people around Brighton and Hove for 12 hours a day over the course of February and March as Covid-19 gripped the nation and the lockdown ensued.

But after gaining a masters in International Relations at the University of Sussex last year, his family visa application was rejected at the end of March because he is over 25 and did not rely on a parent for support.

He arrived in Britain from Nigeria in 2018 to study as his brother and mother already live in London.

His grandmother, who was his only family in their homeland, died in 2009.

Mr Goodluck was then forced to move in with his mother in Croydon, south London, as he could no longer afford his rent in Brighton after losing his job.

When his application was rejected the Home Office confiscated his passport and it has now expired so he is unable to get a new one.

Mr Goodluck said: “I used to sing and dance for the residents, it was amazing to be with them, just pure happiness.

“Then it’s all gone in the blink of an eye and I didn’t even get to get to say goodbye.

“They stopped me from working amid the rising cases as I couldn’t offer my services to the agency.

“I was designated illegal for work, it’s very depressing.”