THE prospects of a student nurse, originally from Africa, staying in Scotland to fulfil his dream of a career in the NHS appear to have risen after Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, said he was “very sympathetic” to his case.

Speaking at his first Commons question-time since taking over his new role, Mr Javid was questioned about the plight of 23-year-old Denzel Darku by the SNP’s Joanna Cherry.

The Edinburgh MP explained how the student nurse, who came to the UK from Ghana aged 14, was a tireless campaigner, who had carried the baton for Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Mr Darku previously served in the Scottish Youth Parliament and currently lives in Paisley. After having two appeals against deportation rejected, he is now battling to stay in Scotland.

“He dreams of a career in NHS Scotland but he faces deportation on a technicality through no fault of his own,” declared Ms Cherry.

She referred to how the Scottish Government had written to the Secretary of State about Mr Darku’s case but had not yet had a reply and urged him to meet her to discuss it. “He only wants to stay in Scotland to serve the NHS,” explained the backbencher.

Last week, Mr Darku’s case was raised at First Minister’s Questions by Labour MSP Neil Bibby as another example of the UK Government's controversial "hostile environment" immigration policy. Nicola Sturgeon said the student nurse had been "an absolute credit to Scotland" and branded the threat of deportation hanging over him a “disgrace”.

The following day, The Herald understands, Ruth Davidson raised the case personally with the Home Secretary in a telephone call.

During Home Office Questions, Mr Javid said he was “pleased” that Ms Cherry had raised the issue, noting how he had spoken about it to the Scottish Conservative leader, who, he said, was also “very concerned”.

He told MPs that there was an appeal going on in regards to Mr Darku’s case, so he could not say too much, but then added: “I am very sympathetic about the situation.”

A source close to Ms Davidson said she was “very pleased” by Mr Javid’s comments.

Later, Ms Cherry said the student nurse’s situation was another illustration of the impact of the Government’s immigration policies, which were “damaging and callous” and that Scotland wanted “nothing to do with them”.

She went on: “This young man is studying hard so he can become a nurse and work in our NHS yet he faces deportation. All this at a time when Theresa May is resisting calls to see sense from even her own Cabinet colleagues and allow skilled migration of health care workers to the UK.”

The SNP’s home affairs spokeswoman argued that the Conservative Government was failing the country’s economy and society and that it was “appalling” it had not even had the courtesy to reply to letters from the Scottish Government, which was “championing Denzel’s case”.

Ms Cherry said a “Scotland-specific” migration system would the nation to prioritise what its economy and society needed “rather than having to abide by Tory plans to cut net migration, which we now know will cost our economy £10 billion a year”

She added: “As we move closer to Brexit, we need the UK Government to do more than simply drop their net migration targets; we need migration levels to be maintained, if not increased. In Scotland our demographic requirements mean immigration needs to be encouraged.

‘’We need powers over migration to come to Scotland; we want nothing to do with the Tories’ hostile environment regime. Scotland cannot continue standing by while the UK Government damages our communities.”