A MALAWIAN man "established a life for himself" in Bulwell while living in the UK illegally, a court heard.
Gordon Hamdan became engaged, moved into a house, and started working at the Co-op in the town despite not having had a valid visa to be in the UK for two years.
But he was sprung during a raid in Henrietta Street, Bulwell, on October 5 after police found he was living in the UK illegally, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard said: "Intelligence found in September that he was overstaying and using an international driving licence.
"His working holiday visa expired in July 2010."
The court heard Hamdan had worked at the Co-op in Bulwell since April 2011.
Miss Pritchard said police arrested Hamdan and three other Malawi nationals during the visit to Henrietta Street.
Hamdan provided them with a Malawi passport that was genuine, but it contained a counterfeit residential permit that was actually for a Columbian national.
Nicola Hornby, in mitigation, said: "He entered the country properly and legally in October 2008 on a working holiday visa.
"At that time he was working for his uncle who had a business in Malawi, and was combining it with a holiday to the UK. While over here, his uncle died and the business was taken over by other business people in the area.
"Mr Hamdan said there was nothing left for him to return to."
She added: "He tried to find legitimate ways to stay in the UK and join the forces, but he was coming to the end of his visa.
"He did the wrong thing and buried his head in the sand. He established a life for himself over here, he has a fiancee, and they have been working together to build that life."
Hamdan, 25, pleaded guilty to possessing a false UK residency permit.
Judge Nigel Godsmark QC sentenced Hamdan to six months in prison.
Deportation papers have also been served, but the court heard he was planning to appeal against deportation.
Judge Godsmark said: "There must be a deterrent element for behaviour like this so that immigration controls can be maintained."
One of the other Malawi nationals arrested in the same swoop, Thokozani Phiri, was also jailed for six months following a separate hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.
Phiri, 24, of no fixed abode, admitted possessing two fake residency permits that were actually for Indian and Romanian nationals.
Miss Pritchard said Phiri's student visa had expired in 2009, and that he paid an unknown man £60 for the fake visas.
Ms Hornby, in mitigation, said: "He came to the UK in 2007 on a student visa studying dental nursing.
"He came into difficulties when he had to pay the remaining course fees and wasn't able to do so in 2009, so was unable to extend his visa.
"He accepts he should have left then, but he says he had nothing to return to."
She added: "He in fact settled down, got a girlfriend, and they had a son born in December last year."
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