A KURDISH asylum seeker has shared his story.
Jamal Moradyan arrived in Winsford 19 months ago, having been forced to flee his home in Western Iran due to fear of political persecution.
He says he wants to give something back to the community, but has been unable to get any work or volunteering opportunities.
“I have met a lot of people here seeking asylum and 90 per cent of them are at the brink of mental collapse. They are going through the most difficult time,” he said.
“Many don’t know the language or culture of the country and are forced to spend their days feeling absolutely helpless. That is why people see asylum seekers as a burden to this country.
“But there are lots of people, like me, who are skilled and who could be quite useful.
“I don’t like to be a burden on the taxpayers. I want to give back to these people who I feel indebted to.
“Let me work, I want to work and pay taxes. It’s a win-win situation. I can be useful.”
Jamal has a masters degree in applied linguistics and before fleeing his home in Iran, ran two branches of a language school.
A Kurd, Jamal says his people are seen through a ‘dim lens’ by the Iranian government.
At the end of 2022, he was caught in the uprisals which followed the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.
He consequently spent some time in a detention centre before managing to escape to the UK in January 2023.
Reflecting on his journey here, Jamal said: "It was the most horrible experience of my life.
“I still have flashbacks of that day. The memories of the journey never leave me alone.
“Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night from nightmares of all the things that I went through, I put my life in danger.”
He added: “I had to leave my family. My daughter was four years old then and now it has been nearly two years since I have seen her.
“She asks me ‘when will you come back home’ and I don’t know what to tell her, it is tough.”
Jamal now lives in a shared flat in Winsford.
His application for asylum was refused in May and he is currently awaiting the date of a tribunal.
According to the government website, failed asylum seekers such as Jamal cannot work, even for a voluntary organisation, unless granted permission to work under Paragraph 360 or 360C of the Immigration Rules.
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