Stories

Research participant Lavan is a Sri Lankan Tamil born in Cardiff, Wales. He is a second-generation person of an immigrant family from Sri Lanka. Here are some snippets from his experience of being a Sri Lankan Tamil in the UK.

Sivagnanam (Siva) had arrived in the UK in 1972 to study at the age of 21. However, as Sri Lanka moved towards civil war Siva’s life in the UK was also transformed. Here is a brief glimpse into his life in the UK through his own eyes.

I was born in a city called Homs in 1955. I went to school there and then moved to Damascus for my university studies in medicine. In Syria I worked as a microbiologist. I have been in the UK for one year. I entered the UK via the United Nations’ Refugee Resettlement Scheme and I am currently living with my daughter’s family. My daughter and her husband have been living in Cardiff for many years and they have four children. I have three sons who are in Europe.

I was born in 1993 in Manbij, which is the largest city in the Aleppo region inhabited by 1 million people. It is about 35 km from the Turkish boarders and 80 km from Aleppo… I finished my primary and secondary education in Manbij. At university I studied electrical engineering for two years but didn’t continue as I wanted to help my dad support the family. I worked in a shop that sold building and construction equipment to houses and companies. I am married with one child aged one year and two months. I came to the UK in 2014 and I applied for asylum when I first entered the UK. After five years I have thankfully got my permanent leave to remain.