Summary

The short story “Home Is Not Here” by Laura Blake starts with a woman named Birdie Brown anxiously waiting for an appointment to begin. An immigration officer calls Birdie into her office. Birdie notices the officer’s nameplate says S. Jenkins, although she never introduces herself to Birdie. Jenkins tells Birdie that they must discuss her immigration status and determine if she can legally remain in the country. 

Birdie tells Jenkins she arrived in the United Kingdom in 1955, when she was seven. She reveals that she travelled on her mother’s passport as children did not need passports of their own at the time. Jenkins says that though that was the case then, a new law states that those who entered the country before 1971 without the correct documents do not have the right to remain there indefinitely. She also complains about how difficult it has been for her to solve su...