Deon P. Green, Gleaner Writer
LONDON, England:
A 30-YEAR-OLD Jamaican nurse was yesterday being held in a detention centre near London's Gatwick Airport, awaiting deportation.
Reports reaching The Gleaner are that Melissa Reid was detained on the weekend after seeking to get a work permit from the British Home Office. Her detention comes after she received training as a nurse in England.
Ms. Reid reportedly came to the United Kingdom in 2000, on a visitor's visa, to see her uncle. She later claimed asylum which was not granted. During the period, Ms. Reid began and completed training at a university in Central London. She then applied for a job at the Nuttfield Hospital in Birmingham.
CALLED IN BY THE HOME OFFICE
The hospital then sought to get a work permit for Ms. Reid. She was subsequently called in by the Home Office concerning the work permit, and was detained.
Only a few days ago, Ms. Reid avoided deportation when she was taken from a flight bound for Jamaica, so that her case could be reviewed. She was yesterday awaiting a final decision from the Home Office.
The Home Office does not discuss individual cases and The Gleaner was therefore unable to ascertain details of the case.
Another Jamaican was recently hoodwinked into believing he was going to the Home Office to receive a work permit when
he was detained. Lawyers representing that man are now seeking to have that decision overturned.
