Iranian asylum seeker’s 15-year fight to stay in the UK: ‘My dreams for my life are all gone’

A man who feared persecution in Iran spent 15 years struggling with a failed asylum application in the UK, homeless and unable to lead a normal life, after the Home Office repeatedly refused to allow him to stay.

Stuck in the asylum system for over a decade, Mostafa Rahmani was not allowed to work and was refused Home Office accommodation for much of his time in the UK; he had to rely on the kindness of his friends to make ends meet.

Rahmani, now 41, came to the UK from Iran in 2011 as a 24-year-old student wanting to learn English. He arrived on a student visa, but a few days after his arrival, he requested asylum, saying Iranian security forces searched for him at his family’s home in Tehran. He said he participated in anti-government protests in 2011.

She has been involved in an Iranian women’s rights campaign group called 8mars in the UK since 2012 and relies on the support and friendship of its members. He says he risks persecution and death by Iranian security forces if he returns because of his anti-government campaigns. However, the Home Office disagrees, saying Rahmani does not have a sufficient political profile in the UK or Iran to be considered at such a risk.

Mr Rahmani, backed by law firm Birchtree Legal Chambers, has had his asylum application rejected several times and now awaits to hear the Home Office’s decision on his latest challenge.

Talking about the uncertainty he experienced in England, Rahmani said: Independent: “My schedule and dreams about my life for years are completely gone.”

He explained: “I was sleeping on the street, in the Asda parking lot, or in buses. Often there were bin rooms in big blocks of flats and when it was cold I slept there. One supermarket was in Wembley, another was in Acton. Sometimes I stayed in churches and they gave me food.

“I made friends and was able to go to different places around Enfield and Acton to shower when I needed to.”

“More recently I was given accommodation permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but even now sometimes it is better to live on the road than to stay at their house. In Afghanistan I have to share a bunk bed with a man who constantly talks to his family, which makes it difficult for me to sleep. So I go out and look for a bus to sleep.”

Iran has become the most common country of citizenship for those seeking asylum in the UK in recent years and those arriving on small boats. Nearly 63,000 Iranian citizens applied for asylum in the UK in the decade between 2016 and 2025, according to data analysis by the Oxford University Migration Observatory.

Last year, 58 percent of Iranians were granted asylum on first application. However, with very few Iranians being deported due to the country’s appalling human rights record, and conflict with the US and Israel having gripped the country and the wider Middle East region since March 2026, those rejected are unlikely to be sent back. According to Home Office data, 42 Iranians were forcibly deported from the UK in the first three months of 2026 and 15 returned voluntarily.

Rahmani described his life before England: “In Iran, I had my own car, I had my father who supported me, I had a good life, I had my own room. My situation here cannot be compared to the standard of living I have. I have thought many times about returning to Iran, but the Iranian government kills and hangs people and I know I cannot.”

“Most of all, I want to get a visa to go abroad to see my 70-year-old mother. I hope one day I can meet my family in Türkiye before anything happens to my family. My friend got his visa eight years later, but his mother died before they could get together, and I’m worried that this will happen to me, too.”

His friend Leila Parnian, a member of 8mars, has known him for 20 years. He described his time in England as follows: “They didn’t give him the chance to live like a normal person. He has no future, no life, no children, no job. He’s stuck here. They played with his life for 15-16 years and he has nothing. He doesn’t even have a room to himself where he can do whatever he wants.”

“He doesn’t know what to do with his life, he can’t stay here like this. He can’t return to his country. The Islamic regime hangs young people every day. It’s not fair to play with someone’s life without any justification for nearly 16 years.

“He came in as a young person and now he’s 41 and has nothing.”

Birchtree Legal Director Rashad Nawaz, who supported the asylum application, said: “Having worked on Mr Rahmani’s case, I can say that he is truly committed to his cause and has constantly kept the foreign secretary informed about his work campaigning for women’s rights in Iran for over a decade.

“8mars has made it very clear that his life will be in danger when he returns to Iran due to his political activities in the UK. Mr. Rahmani puts on a brave face as he faces the world, but I have witnessed first-hand the deterioration of his mental health.

“It is frankly strange that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has consistently denied Mr. Rahmani permission to stay when he cannot send him to Iran because he recognizes that Iran has a very poor human rights record. I hope common sense prevails and he is granted permission to stay.”

The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases.