After Deportation Warning, Indian Historian Says She Is 'Living In Fear'
Manikarnika Dutta has been living in the UK for a decade. She has been on a spouse visa as a dependent.
Manikarnika Dutta, a distinguished Indian historian, is living “in fear" of deportation from the UK after being warned about exceeding the permitted number of days outside the country. Dutta, who is conducting academic research for the University of Oxford, has taken extended research trips abroad, putting her immigration status at risk. The UK Home Office has rejected her application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), citing a breach of the country’s immigration rules regarding time spent outside the UK.
Additionally, the Home Office has also denied her the right to stay in the UK as she does not have a family life in Britain, despite her and her husband being married for over 10 years and maintaining a residency in south London. Dutta moved to the UK in 2012 on a student’s visa for her master’s degree and later obtained a spouse visa as a dependent of her husband. “You must now leave the United Kingdom. If you don’t leave voluntarily, you may be subject to a re-entry ban of 10 years and prosecuted for overstaying," the review states.
related stories
Speaking about the same, Dutta shared that she felt “broken" after learning about the notice. She also took aim at the “out of touch" Home Office, adding that the immigration rules by the department did not accommodate the demands of her academic research, especially when she is an international scholar.
“Your first priority and your first commitment is towards your academics and the best research that you can produce. So whatever is needed for that, you do it. It is not about counting those number of days. It is your research," she told the Independent. Voicing her concerns about the chances of her not being able to return to the UK once she leaves, Dutta added, “I have been living with that fear." She also states that there is a need for better communication between educational institutions and the Home Office, asserting that the UK immigration system doesn’t recognise PhD research as proper work experience. “Rules really need to be flexible. They need to be human," she said.
Earlier, the historian even asked for an administrative review, only to find the Home Office upholding its decision and instructing her to leave the UK or face a 10-year re-entry ban and possible prosecution for overstaying. With Dutta launching a legal challenge against the decision, the Home Office might reconsider the move within the next three months.
- Location :
- First Published: