A DAUGHTER caring for her dying mother has vowed to continue her fight to stay in the country despite immigration officials refusing to overturn the order for her deportation.

Lizzie Parry

A DAUGHTER caring for her dying mother has vowed to continue her fight to stay in the country despite immigration officials refusing to overturn the order for her deportation.

Tess Henry, of Perth, Australia, was “absolutely devastated” when she received the news yesterday morning and is fighting to stay with her mother Jennifer Jeeps, of Exning, near Newmarket, who has lung cancer.

Miss Henry, who previously lived in Suffolk for more than 15 years, said: “We are all stunned. I will continue to fight as much as I possibly can.

“I have been in touch with a specialist immigration lawyer in London - I am waiting to speak to her to see where I stand.

“The letter said they had reviewed my case and I had no case for compassionate grounds; there was no justification as to why.

“If this is not a case for compassionate grounds then I don't know what is. There is no-one else to care for my mum.

“At best, I have 21 days before I have to leave the country but there may be options of judicial review and looking at my mum's human rights.”

Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, who supported Miss Henry's application for a review of the original ruling in May, said: “I very much regret the news that Tess Henry has been told that she must leave the UK.

“It is beauracratic madness. I have constantly argued that she should be allowed to stay on compassionate grounds.

“Yes, we need a tough and rigorous immigration system but this is simply unreasonable.

“I have done everything in my power to try and prolong her visit and will continue to do so.”

Miss Henry, 41, was born on a US air base in Turkey and moved to England aged five when her parents divorced.

She went to school in Bury St Edmunds and trained as a nurse in Newmarket but when she was 22 moved to Australia, where she got married.

When she learnt her 63-year-old mother had lung cancer last December, she returned home to take care of her.

Miss Henry fears she may now never see her mother again. She said: “It is absolutely horrendous. To be separated from my mother now is inhuman.”

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said: “We don't comment on individual cases. All applications are carefully considered within the immigration rules taking into account any special circumstances.

“We want people who have no right to stay in the United Kingdom to leave of their own accord but where they refuse we will enforce their removal.”