‘They wanted me out’: Liverpool doctor speaks of ‘inhumane’ treatment by government

A young Liverpool doctor has spoken of the ‘inhumane’ way she was ordered to leave the country after living here for more than 13 years.

Dr Mu-Chun Chiang, 27, is a fully qualified NHS doctor who lives in Liverpool City Centre and is currently working at Aintree Hospital while she works towards becoming a GP.

But as we revealed yesterday, after applying for a new working visa, Dr Chiang was told she could not stay in the country and ordered to leave in 14 days.

This came because of what she described as a “a nonsensical administrative issue” .

It transpires that the application was rejected in August due to a Home Office rule which states an applicant’s bank balance cannot drop below £945 in the 90 days beforehand.

Dr Chiang, who was born in Taiwan but lived in the UK as a child and returned as a secondary school student, said she had more than that amount saved and the bank account she used for the application had the correct money by the end of each month, but had dropped below for a few days in one of them.

Now she has spoken to the ECHO about the “shameful” and “inhumane” way she was suddenly ordered out of a country she has lived, studied and worked in for so long.

She said: “They made the decision on September 19. I got a Royal Mail slip telling me I had post on 25th.

“I was still working on call so couldn’t get to the post office for another couple of days – I had no idea what it was about or how important it was.

“On the Friday I went to the post office and opened this letter.

“The letter that I received was really threatening. It pretty much told me I should leave the country now or be removed.

“It said that if I didn’t, I could be detained or punished in some way.

“After all the inhumane threats in the letter, they said I would have 14 days to say why I should be able to stay – but that I couldn’t say anything I had already mentioned.”

“It felt like they just wanted me out – and that they were trying really hard to get me out.”

The letter she received stated: “Your application has been unsuccessful. You should now leave the United Kingdom.”

It added that if she did not leave voluntarily she would be liable to be detained and removed and subject to a re-entry ban of up to 10 years and a potential prison term of 6 months.

After a number of news outlets – including the ECHO – published Dr Chiang’s story, the Home Office appears to have backtracked.

When contacted, a spokesman said: “We are reconsidering Ms Chiang’s application now that further evidence has been provided.”

It is understood that Dr Chiang is now not subject to removal proceedings and is being contacted by the Home Office.

She said the way she was dealt with leaves her fearful for many other immigrants who are living, working and contributing to the UK.

She added: “I think a lot of people will be in the same position.

“I felt really shocked, I had to stop work – I’m now on immigration bail. I was thinking about sorting things with work and getting someone to fill in.

“I don’t have any family here so was thinking about how I would even start to move.

“We booked to see a solicitor, my friend started the petition – we just wanted to do anything we could really.

“Just speaking for any immigrant worker – I don’t think anyone deserves this kind of treatment.

“I really enjoy working for the NHS and I think its such a great institution.

“The government says how understaffed the NHS is and that we need skilled workers – and they want to just get rid of me.

“I’m sure people in the past have faced similar situations and have just packed up and gone because they didn’t know how to fight it and that is really sad.”

A petition launched to fight Dr Chiang’s case has already amassed more than 38,000 signatures.