Oxford-bound orphan fights to stay in UK five years after arriving in Wolverhampton

Orphan Brian White astounded teachers by winning a place at Oxford University just four years after arriving in this country from Botswana.

Now that coveted prize could be snatched from grasp of 20-year-old at the last minute because of uncertainty over his status in the UK which threatens to end in him being removed from the country.

Brian, who lives in Penn and is currently a volunteer teaching assistant, explained: “Everything is up in the air after things started to go very wrong, very quickly.

“I try to concentrate on other things because it is too stressful to think about what might happen if I am not allowed to stay here.

“I don’t think I am being treated unfairly. There has just been a series of unfortunate events. As a result I have fallen through the cracks of the system to end up in this situation by accident.”

He added: “A degree from Oxford University could take me anywhere. At the moment I would like to work in either research, academia or industry. If things do not work out then I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.”

The talented chemistry student has already overcome a string of major obstacles in his short life after being abandoned as a baby.

He lived in an orphanage in Zimbabwe until the age of six when a missionary, impressed by the child’s intellect, introduced him to British-born Peter White who was working in that country and had two children by his Zimbabwean wife.

Mr White first fostered and then adopted Brian who was 12 when he moved with his new family to Botswana.

A few years later British citizen Mr White, his two sons and wife returned to live in Penn, leaving Brian in Africa with a family friend until he could get permission to enter the UK.

His education started in Zimbabwe and continued in Botswana until the age of 15 when he was allowed to join the rest of the family in Wolverhampton and became a pupil at Highfields School in Penn where his love of science soon impressed teachers.

While studying for A Levels he was encouraged to apply to Oxbridge and in the spring of last year was offered a place to read chemistry at Oxford University. This was confirmed last August after he got A* grades in chemistry, physics and biology and an A grade in maths.

Then came the bombshell news that he could not get a student grant because his permission to stay in this country had expired. In a further complication, his adoptive father, whose marriage had broken down, had to be moved to a care home, leaving Brian potentially homeless.

Oxford University agreed to defer his place for a year and Martin Leigh, 56, a father of two whose partner Sharon Bishop teaches at Highfields School, offered to put him up at his Penn home.

Mr Leigh said: “This was a chance of a lifetime for Brian. It was no stretch for me to take him in. I did not want all the effort that had gone into getting a place at Oxford to come to nothing because he had nowhere to live.”

Highfields headteacher, Graham Tate, said: “Brian was and is, much more than an outstanding academic. He played a huge part in every aspect of life here and has done much to enhance the reputation of the school in the wider community.

"Being awarded a place at Oxford is a great achievement for any student and it is always an especially proud moment for Highfields to have one of their students recognised among the country’s academic elite.

“He has already overcome so much adversity yet has displayed an absolute determination to do the very best with his life. He has so much potential for a brilliant future and it would be a tragedy if this is ripped away from him. We will do everything we can to support him all the way.”

Keith Sedgebeer, chairman of governors, added: “A failure to grant him permission to stay will shatter both his future and his dreams. In my view this would not only represent a personal tragedy for him but also the tragic failure of the country to support and nurture one of its most outstanding young people who has the potential to make a massive contribution to our future.”

Rob Marris, who took up the case before his recent retirement as Wolverhampton South West MP, explained: “When he entered the UK in 2013 he did not have the right paperwork and only discovered this much later. Since then he has been trying to sort it out with the Home Office.

“Regrettably the Home Office has made mistakes and to make matters worse it took them three months to reply to me as the then MP. I only got a proper response from them when I raised the issue in the House of Commons.

“I am glad he has now got specialist legal advice and I think he should be granted a visa so he can take up his place at Oxford.”

Immigration expert Louis MacWilliam, a solicitor with London firm Bindmans, has made a fresh application for Brian to stay in the UK.

He explained: “On reviewing his papers it seems he should have been granted indefinite leave to enter at first instance and it is not clear why this did not happen. His whole family are in the UK and Brian is clearly an exceptional student so I hope he gets a positive decision soon so he can fulfil his potential.”

The Home Office is expected to make a final decision on Brian’s future before the end of September but Oxford University need to know if he is going to take up his place by the end of August.