By Ali Ghaderi

Copyright metro

Before arriving in the UK by plane, my journey to Europe from Iran included a perilous boat crossing, says Ali (Picture: Ali Ghaderi)

Days after my arrival, waking up in the bedroom of a relative in London still didn’t feel real.

I kept waiting to find myself back in Greece or back on my journey – but the smell of Iranian tea and the sound of Farsi from the next room lingered. I could even hear my parents, who had phoned for an update on my progress as I settled in.

Finally, I was safe.

I arrived in October 2018 on a plane from Greece. After a grilling at Heathrow from immigration officials, I was able to pass through to arrivals and be reunited with some of my family.

The sense of relief is hard to describe – I couldn’t believe it was that simple.

I have experienced both safe and unsafe routes – before arriving in the UK by plane, my journey to Europe from Iran included a perilous boat crossing. It is why I worry about the Government temporarily suspending new applications for family reunification.

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I grew up in Iran and had a normal and happy childhood, with a loving family.

As I grew older, I did well in school and wanted to be a dentist. But things changed and it became unsafe for me to stay in Iran.

For my safety, I had to leave – quickly. I didn’t have time to say goodbye to anyone or take anything with me, apart from what was already in my backpack.

I fled through an unsafe route – mainly on foot or swimming – and entirely reliant on smugglers. Some treated me well, others not so much.

The most dangerous part was the crossing from Turkey to Greece. A smuggler took a group of us to try an untested river route.

I’ll never forget the image of the water carrying people away, says Ali (Picture: Ali Ghaderi)

We walked for hours until we reached the river, carrying a boat that was definitely too small for the 40 people it was transporting. We had pregnant women and children with us, and it was clearly unsafe.

As we left that night, the boat was sinking almost instantly. So myself and a few other strong swimmers decided to get out and push the boat to the shore.

By a miracle, I made it to the other side, but not everyone was so lucky. I’ll never forget the image of the water carrying people away. I have no idea what happened to them, and try not to think about it.

I stayed in Greece for around a year and was initially happy there.

Honestly, I would have stayed there. But anti-migrant sentiment rose and there were attacks against migrants by fascist gangs, as well as police crackdowns in areas where migrants lived.

Ali points out that he’s proof of how safe routes save lives (Picture: Ali Ghaderi)

One such gang attacked me on the street, and said they would kill me if they saw me again. I felt terrified, unwanted, and like I should just disappear.

At that time, I was volunteering with different charities that supported people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. It was through that work I heard about a possible route to the UK through family reunification.

We applied for the scheme, gathering evidence and working with a specialist lawyer. After a few months, I was accepted. A few months after that, I was on a plane to London.

The difference between my two experiences is night and day. A safe, legal, humane route, compared with a dangerous, secret crossing on a too-small boat in the dead of night that proved likely fatal for some passengers.

I feel grateful for the opportunity I had, but guilty that I had a safe route available. All the while so many people have to risk their lives taking dangerous journeys.

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Today, there are hardly any safe routes left to come to the UK. Programmes set up to help Syrians, Afghans, Hongkongers, and Ukrainians have been wound down. And now family reunification has been paused until Spring 2026.

Removing safe routes is, in my view, what results in the high number of small boat crossings we see today. These dangerous, irregular journeys could be reduced.

Safe routes save lives, I’m proof of that.

That’s why I try to give back. During the pandemic, I volunteered to help distribute food to people in my neighbourhood who were shielding.

It was through work like this that I realised there was a need for an organisation run by – and for – people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.

So I established Babylon Migrants Project in 2022 to be a community where marginalised young people can gain creative skills, make friends, and feel like they belong.

People will always move countries. You cannot stop those coming here when they are fleeing for their lives, and when they have a reason to seek sanctuary in the UK.

So stop punishing migrants for coming via irregular routes. Instead, provide the safe, legal alternatives that we desperately need.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk.

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