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UK Extends Deadline for Foreign Grenfell Victims to Apply for 12-Month Stay

© REUTERS / Neil HallThe burnt out remains of the Grenfell apartment tower are seen in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 18, 2017.
The burnt out remains of the Grenfell apartment tower are seen in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 18, 2017. - Sputnik International
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The UK Home Office said Thursday it had extended until November the deadline for foreign nationals affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in London to apply for a 12-month leave to remain in the country.

The burnt out remains of the Grenfell apartment tower are seen in North Kensington, London, Britain, June 18, 2017. - Sputnik International
UK Government Officially Starts Inquiry Into London Grenfell Tower Fire
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In July, the UK Home Office announced that all individuals directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire  would be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom for 12 months regardless of their current immigration status. The offer was due to close for new cases on Thursday.

"We believe that extending this policy for a further 3 months gives survivors further opportunity to come forward, both to receive support for the exceptionally traumatic events they have experienced and to provide essential first-hand accounts of the fire," Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said, as quoted by his office.

He stressed that the welfare of survivors of the deadly fire was a priority for the UK government.

"I also hope this extension will help to dispel people’s fears about coming forward to assist the inquiry into this horrific and unprecedented incident due to their immigration status," the minister said.

On June 14, a huge fire started at the Grenfell tower high-rise block in North Kensington in London, engulfing the entire building and trapping almost 120 families inside. A set of the combustibility tests has been carried out since then, showing that cladding used in the construction of dozens of the high-rises did not comply with fire safety requirements.

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