Two Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi has revealed that he has been refused residency to stay in the UK after more than 20 years of living and working in England.
The highly esteemed chef, who is renowned for his London restaurant Claude Bosi at Bibendum, took to Instagram on Friday afternoon to share his letter of refusal from the Home office rejecting his application for permanent UK residency. The image of the letter from the Home Office was uploaded with the following caption from Bosi:
"I have been in England for 23 years and today they have send me this… I love Britain I considered until today like home but they just told me after 23 years of taxe paid /Vat paid Im not welcome-anymore WTF it’s going on in this world. #thankyoubrexit @borisjohnsonuk did I do something wrong…? [sic]"
The post was met with outrage from fans of the Swiss culinary maestro as well as support from a handful of fellow celebrity chefs that included Heston Blumenthal, Tom Kerridge, Tom Aikens and Monica Galetti. TV chef James Martin simply commented ‘WTF?’ and Midsummer House chef Daniel Clifford wrote ‘if you go, I’m coming with you’. Conversely, friend Sat Bains attempted to lighten the tone with a sarcastic message that read ‘I told you years ago! Nobody likes you!’
A spokesperson for the Home Office has since responded that Mr Bosi’s application was denied because he had filed for the incorrect scheme; UK residency rather than EU settled status. The statement read 'Mr Bosi has not applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. He made an application for a permanent residence card – something which EU citizens living in the UK are not required or encouraged to do. His application for permanent residence was not successful because he did not provide sufficient evidence to show he met the criteria. We have spoken to him to help apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.’
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