Sajid Javid was forced into a grovelling apology yesterday after admitting Pashto and Dari translators and interpreters were wrongly forced to take DNA tests before they could settle in Britain.
The Home Secretary admitted hundreds of interpreters and translators – the ‘eyes and ears’ of British troops during the war – and their families were illegally ordered to hand over samples to
prove they had the right to live in the UK.
Adult children of Gurkha veterans – Nepalese ex-soldiers from the British Army – were also told to provide samples as a condition of getting visas to join their parents here. They were among at least 449 cases where Home Office letters had been sent with the demand. A small number were denied entrance to Britain after failing to provide DNA – even though this was unlawful.
Mr Javid told MPs it was ‘unacceptable’ that some relatives of Gurkhas and Afghan nationals employed by the UK Government had been rejected. You can read more about this story here.
The official languages of Afghanistan are Dari and Pashto
We currently have 32 professionally qualified Dari interpreters and 24 professionally qualified Pashto interpreters based in the UK. Our Pashto and Dari interpreters have appropriate DBS checks and some have even undergone Home Office Counter Terrorists checks for those assignments when the highest level of security is required.
Our Pashto and Dari translators can translate legal documents, medical records, letters, business correspondence, passports, marriage certificates – we can even certify, notarise or legalise the translations if required.
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