Mr Aganozor, who works at Dulwich College, was diagnosed with leukaemia in August and needs an urgent stem cell transplant from his brother Patrick, who lives with his family in Nigeria. Last April, Patrick applied for a visa to come to the UK to assist his brother but his application was rejected by the Home Office.
Patrick, a tricycle courier who earns £2.30 a day, was refused a visa to enter the UK as he did not meet economic requirements. This was despite a £36,000-a-year offering he got to sponsor his month-long mercy mission and pay £1,500 for his return flight.
Isaac, 44, who lives in Sydenham Hill, is being given regular high-dose chemotherapy sessions at St Bartholomew’s Hospital but has been told that time is running out. A search of the national donor database revealed that Patrick, 38, is a 50% match for his brother and the only realistic hope of his receiving the stem cells in time.
Despite a letter from hospital specialists detailing Patrick’s status as the only available matching donor for the urgent stem cell transplant, he was refused a visa in April. A rejection letter from the British High Commission in Lagos, said that Patrick's limited economic circumstances made him unsuitable for a visa.
It read: “You have stated your brother has acute myeloid leukaemia and you are to be a stem cell donor. I must take into account your personal socio-economic circumstances in Nigeria when reaching my decision.
"I note that you are a tricycle driver earning £69 a month in Nigeria but you state you have £1,500 for this trip. Given your limited economic circumstances in Nigeria I am not satisfied that these provide you with an incentive to leave the UK at the end of your stay as claimed.”
Isaac, who has been off sick from work since December, said there is no danger that his brother will try to stay in the UK after the transplant as he has to care for his four-year-old daughter and ailing mother in Lagos. He added that the immigration officers did not consider his health and were only interested in economics.
He said: “I was so happy when I found out that my brother was a match but when his application was rejected it was a bigger shock than getting told I had leukaemia in the first place. It is incredibly frustrating to know that the solution that could save my life is only six hours away by plane.”
Simon Yiend, the chief operating officer at Dulwich College, said: “Isaac is a quietly spoken, hard-working man who gets on with his job incredibly well. I’m appalled by the Home Office’s decision.
“It is essentially because Patrick is a poor man that he can’t come across to do the only thing he wants to do, save his brother’s life. I understand the concerns around immigration and people who want to take advantage of our system, but Patrick wants to go back to his family in Nigeria straight after the operation."
He added that Nigeria is part of the Commonwealth, yet Britain does not allow an individual in on humanitarian grounds for a mercy mission. Helen Hayes, the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, has held discussions with immigration minister James Brokenshire but she was told a priority appeal for a new visa is necessary, which will require the involvement of specialist immigration lawyers.
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