Overview
- David Toropu, 9, was stopped at Milan airport on Thursday, April 2, when UK border checks showed no record of his right to live in Britain.
- His father and stepbrother flew home, while David and his mother stayed two nights in Italy and then went to Romania to wait with family.
- Airport officials rejected an Electronic Travel Authorisation because an ETA is for visitors and does not prove a person’s right to live in the UK.
- The new system, introduced in February, requires a British passport or a digital certificate of entitlement, which is not issued automatically and costs about £589, while a UK passport costs about £100 for an adult.
- The Home Office says it has now issued the documents that will let David return, as his MP’s office stepped in and a team fundraiser helped with about £2,000 in extra travel and hotel costs.