Leonarda Zarcone, 74, was told to leave the UK after 42 years following an email blunder (Picture: Joseph Walshe/SWNS)
An Italian grandmother facing deportation after living in the UK for 42 yearshas learned she can stay following a Home Office U-turn.
Leonarda Zarcone, 74, was told she had missed a deadline to provide information for her settled status application and was ordered to leave the country.
The stunned grandmother then discovered she had not seen an email from the Home Office asking for further proof she had lived in the UK for at least five years because it had gone to her junk folder.
She made a new application that was rejected and was left living in ‘daily fear’ of being deported.
Her family highlighted Ms Zarcone’s plight in the media and the Home Office eventually agreed to give her indefinite leave to live in the UK.
Ms Zarcone, who lives in Leicester with her husband Marcel, said: ‘I was an illegal immigrant and all because of an email which was sent to my junk folder.
‘I am not great with computers. It made me cry to think I could be sent away from this country and my family because of this.’
Her son David Brunetto, 51, said the family was ‘relieved that common sense has finally prevailed but it should never have got to this point.’
‘My mum has had sleepness nights about being arrested because technically she was an illegal immigrant.
‘It shows just how precarious the system is if you can be kicked out of the country on the basis of an email being sent to spam.
‘I really hope the Home Office will learn lessons from this. The way my mum was treated was appalling.’
Ms Zarcone was born in Italy and moved to the UK as a child before living in France where she was given French citizenship.
She and Marcel moved to the UK in 1981 and settled in Leicester where they ran a traditional British fish and chip shop and raised their three children.
After Britain officially left the EU in 2020 following Brexit, Mr Brunetto made the application for settled status on behalf of his parents as well as for himself.
He said that on the form it gave two ways the Home Office could contact the applicant, by phone or by email.
‘[My mum] had never used an email before I set one up for her for the application and she is cautious about talking to people on the phone in case it’s a scam.
‘If there had been an option for a letter then my mum would have opted for that and this would never have happened.’
The rest of Ms Zarcone’s family were granted settled status so she assumed she had been too.
She said she got the shock of her life when she opened the letter ordering her to leave the UK.
‘All my family and my roots are here’, she added. ‘It’s really frightening. I have nowhere to go.
‘My mum and dad moved to England and are buried here. My life is here.
‘I moved to this country 42 years ago with my husband. We raised our three children here and ran a business together here.
‘I have paid National Insurance, taxes and lived an honest life.
‘My family have made their lives here and my youngest daughter was born in the UK. We even support Leicester City football team, this is our home.’
Mr Brunetto added: ‘My mum’s records prove that she has been living here for decades.
‘She’s received a state pension for seven years so clearly she’s lived here continually and she’s paid into the system. She’s paid her taxes.
‘She’s paying council tax. There’s lots of proof.’
Ms Zarcone’s son said the Home Office did not give her the option of being contacted by letter (Picture: STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Home Office emailed Mr Brunetto on Friday confirming his mother had been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.
The letter said: ‘I am pleased to inform you that your application under the EU Settlement Scheme has been successful.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘All EU Settlement Scheme applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, on the basis of the evidence provided and in accordance with the immigration rules.
‘A wide range of support remains available for applicants, including vulnerable people.
‘This includes support through a Grant Funded Network of third party organisations dedicated to assisting vulnerable people with their applications.’