The UK has not addressed the issues raised by the Windrush scandal, according to advocates, after a UK-born three-year-old was refused a British passport and asked to verify her eligibility for free NHS healthcare.
Zharia-Rae, whose mother Tracy Ann Dunkley became a British citizen in 2024, was denied British citizenship despite her older brother, born to the same parents in 2020, receiving a British passport in 2022. Dunkley, originally from Anguilla—a British overseas territory—was informed that her daughter was not eligible for a British passport and would instead be classified as a BOT citizen, which carries fewer rights in the UK.
Additionally, Dunkley has received official correspondence questioning whether Zharia-Rae, born in Birmingham with hip dysplasia and currently undergoing autism assessments, qualifies for NHS care without charge. The most recent letter, sent this week, indicates that an investigation into her status is ongoing and that charges for treatment may follow.
Dunkley, who cares full-time for Zharia-Rae and her four-year-old brother, who is also believed to be autistic, said the demands for documentation have left her overwhelmed, with no means to cover medical costs.
She described ongoing difficulties since moving from Anguilla, including being barred from returning to work after maternity leave. Despite submitting the same documents used for her initial employment, she was told she lacked work authorization.
Balancing her children’s needs with bureaucratic hurdles has become unsustainable, she said.
“You know you have to handle it, but you feel too exhausted to fight,” she explained. “People don’t understand the struggle when your child is in pain but can’t communicate it. The constant distress—it’s unbearable.”
A Home Office representative stated that they do not discuss specific cases but confirmed that a child born in the UK is automatically British if at least one parent is a citizen or settled in the country at birth.
Euen Herbert-Small, a researcher and Windrush advocate, argued that systemic problems persist unchanged since the Windrush crisis.
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