In 2005, Pastor Tobi Adeboyega entered the UK on a visit visa and did not leave as scheduled. He remained in the UK till much later and found different things till 2015 when he attempted to regularise his situation. His attempt was unsuccessful. He however still remained in the UK.
In 2019, he made an application for leave to remain on Article 8 grounds. The Home Office refused the application. Pastor Tobi then appealed the refusal to the First-tier Tribunal.
The appeal was dismissed by First-tier Tribunal in 2021 and another appeal to Upper Tribunal was filed in 2022.
In August 2022, the case took a comical turn as the Judge did not give a final decision on the case but said a narrow issue regarding the earlier appeal should be resolved before giving his verdict.
An administrative error categorized this appeal as “successful” so he could leave the country and return within this period (2022 to 2024).
Some day in June 2024, the Home Office woke up and decided to remember Pastor Tobi Adeboyega. His lifestyle on social media drew attention to him and they began to dig deep into his case. They realized he shouldn’t be in the UK and started the process to deport him. It felt like a “wait a minute, why is this guy still in the UK” moment and we arrived at the situation we are today.
Pastor Tobi’s lawyer Dele Olawanle has put out a press release claiming that the reports of him being deported are false, with the main premise being that deportation is for criminals and his client isn’t one. He also stated that Pastor Tobi has made significant contributions to the British community and the majority of his adversaries are from the African community.
