On 5 January, the PIE News published a story about Nomi Raja, MV member and part of the My Future Back campaign. He was one of tens of thousands of international students unfairly accused by the Home Office of cheating on an English test in 2014. Like many others, Nomi has been fighting for years to clear his name and restart his life.
“In 2014 I had only four months left to complete my graduation, but they closed down the college. I would have [graduated] six years ago when I was 23," Nomi said. “They took all of the golden days of my life, 23 to 29. Six years – that’s the most important time of life when you can start your career.”
MV Director Nazek Ramadan was also quoted in the story: "While it’s great that some students, including Nomi, are now clearing their names and restarting their lives, they should never have faced this appalling accusation in the first place, nor had to spend years of their lives and tens of thousands of pounds in a fight with the government to prove their innocence. Those years of their young lives will be lost forever."
Others who have not cleared their names “will live the rest of their lives bearing this wrongful accusation of fraud”, with some lacking the “resources or energy to fight any longer”, she continued.