Leigh restaurant owners fear deportation to Nigeria if they can't raise £26,000 in two weeks

A couple who run a popular restaurant fear they will be deported to Nigeria if they don't raise enough money to stay in the country within days.

Cynthia and Bright Chinule say they have just over two weeks to raise almost £26,000 or they could be forced to return to Nigeria after six years of building a life in England.

They run the Nigerian restaurant Taste Africana in Leigh and say they are unable to pay the visa renewal fees for their family-of-five after a sudden roof collapse left them in financial difficulties.

They say they were "heartbroken" after the roof of the their restaurant suddenly caved in just two months after opening.

Luckily, they were able to find a new home just minutes away on Market Street where they have been operating since 11 November.

However, according to Bright, the financial knock-on effects mean the couple, who have three children, have been unable to keep on top of the rising cost of living, visa fees and things like immigration health surcharge payments.

This is a fee paid by migrants who live in the UK for more than six months.

"They've put up the immigration charges, health insurance used to be around £300 per year," explained Bright.

"It's gone all the way up to around £1,800 per person, per year. Think about me who's got a family of five. If I add visa application fees and lawyer fees it brings everything to up to around £26k.

"The visa expires in 12 days so we need to at least put in an application the night before. At this stage we just don't have the money to do that.

"The target is to get enough money to get the whole visa thing fixed to give us some peace of mind. The idea that there is a possibility of being kicked out after six years of work has drained all the peace out of me. It takes a huge toll on you, honestly."

The couple moved to the area in 2021 to raise their young family, and before opening, Taste Africana was ‘Home Food UK’, an online takeaway operating from Cynthia and Bright’s kitchen.

Former maths teacher Cynthia was the first to suggest going into the food sector when she was on maternity leave and realised she wouldn't be able to go back to work as a teaching assistant and look after their children.

She started Home Food UK, which proved a big hit. With two masters degrees and a career in the NHS, Bright also took the leap to support Cynthia in running Taste Africana.

But now the family are now facing the possibility of restarting their lives in Nigeria should they fail to submit applications before the deadline, after six years of trying to build something in the UK.

Bright said: "In the worst case scenario we will be asked to leave the UK. We're going to be given 60 days to leave if we're lucky.

"Then, where do you start from? Flight tickets are so expensive. I've got a business that I've built here, we can't sell that overnight.

"Are we going to leave it behind and just move? You can't sell a business overnight or sell all the things inside it overnight. Where does that leave you? I can't even think about it.

"The reality kicked in when I realised I've got a little over two weeks left. Miracles can happen but I've tried everything within my capacity and I'm just stuck."

Bright added: "It's a difficult place to be in. It's difficult to be thriving and make some impact and then all of a sudden not being able to move because all these barriers have been placed around you.

"We are currently on the post study visa, so it means I've done a higher education course. I've finished that course and now I've been granted to remain in the country to find my feet, get a job etc.

"That's what I've done essentially. Education alone as an international student costs an arm and a leg and that's all to guarantee some sort of economic stability so you can be productive in the system. All of a sudden your wings are clipped because of your immigration status."

Writing on his GoFundMe page he adds: "For the past six years, I’ve been building a life here in the UK, ever since I arrived in 2018 to pursue my studies.

"During this time, I’ve done everything I could to contribute positively to the community—working in COVID wards during the pandemic, supporting elderly patients, and applying my skills as a business analyst.

"I’ve also earned two master’s degrees in the process, which was a significant financial investment as an international student."

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our visa fees have been informed by the principle that those who use and benefit from the immigration system should contribute towards the cost of operating it, reducing the level of UK taxpayer funding that would otherwise be required.”