A FORMER Miss York who is about to graduate from medical school is distraught after the Home Office refused to let her Nigerian father into the UK to attend the ceremony.

Helen Lawal, who in 2009 was the first mixed-race winner of the Miss York Competition, will graduate from Hull York Medical School on Tuesday before embarking on a dream career as a doctor.

But despite previously being a regular visitor to the UK, her proud father, Saliu Lawal, who is himself a doctor in Nigeria, has not been permitted into the country.

Helen, 24, said: “I have looked forward to my graduation for the last six years and always pictured both my mum and dad present, but now this day, which is one of the most important occasions of my life, has a dark shadow cast over it. The last year of study has been rather difficult after juggling exams with charity work.

“It was the thought of being together on this day as a family unit, which kept me going.

“My father is such a genuinely good human being and it seems so cruel that he has been denied what should have been one of the proudest days of a father’s life.”

According to Helen, the Home Office denied a visa because of a lack of evidence that her father could support himself financially while in the UK, or that his wife, Sue, who lives in the UK, could support him on his month-long stay.

Helen questioned the Home Office’s conclusions and pointed out that her father was a doctor who runs his own hospital in Nigeria, and her mother is also in full-time employment in the UK and owns her own home.

Dr Lawal’s wife, Sue, said: “My husband has entered the country many times and has never committed any offences or overstayed on his visits from Nigeria. The very reason we have lived separately is so that my son, Dave, and my daughter, Helen, could receive a good standard of education in this country.”

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “The UK has a robust visa system in place that requires all potential visitors to the UK to first demonstrate that they are here for legitimate reasons. Each visa application is assessed on its individual merits. The responsibility lies with the applicant to submit evidence to show they meet these rules, including evidence to show they have sufficient funds available for their visit.

“Previous visits to the UK are not in themselves a basis for securing a visa. If an applicant is refused a visa they are welcome to reapply, but should address the issues raised in their refusal letter.”