The Home Office has reversed a decision to deport two Durham University academics after a public outcry.



Dr Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Dr Arely Cruz-Santiago had been issued a 14-day notice to leave the UK following an apparent breach in their tier 2 visa after doing humanitarian work in Mexico.

The couple had lived in the UK for more than 10 years and have an 11-year-old daughter.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Following a review of the initial decision, Mr Schwartz-Marin has been informed that the applications of him and his wife for indefinite leave to remain have been approved.”

The Home Office had earlier said that Schwartz-Marín’s application for indefinite leave to remain had been refused as he had been absent from the UK for more than 180 days within the past five years.

More than 70,000 people signed an online petition to reverse the “unfair” decision.

“Their case is very distressing on a personal level, but it also sets a dangerous precedent for other non-UK academics working in universities and doing humanitarian fieldwork abroad,” read the petition.

The couple carried out humanitarian work in Mexico in 2014-15 building a DNA database to help locate missing victims of drug cartel violence. This led the Home Office to issue Schwartz-Marin and his family with a deportation notice.

Jolyon Maugham QC launched a legal challenge against the decision. A crowdfunding campaign has raised more than £22,500 for their legal costs.