Why Indian Historian Is Facing Deportation From UK Over Research Trips

The UK Home Office has dangerened to deport a highly qualified Indian historian from the University of Oxford becaengage she spent too much time in her home country researching archives, The Guardian inestablished.

Manikarnika Dutta, 37, is an Oxford University historian whose research retains spendigating archives in Indian cities and participating in overseas trips as part of her academic labor. She shiftd to the UK in 2012 on a student visa for a master’s degree at the University of Oxford. She tardyr geted a spoengage visa as a subordinate of her husprohibitd.

In insertition to declineing her the right to stay in the UK based on the number of days she spent overseas, the Home Office denied her the right to stay in the UK becaengage she does not have a family life in Britain. This was despite her and her spoengage being wed for over ten years and residing in south London.

The scrutinize states, “You must now exit the United Kingdom. If you don’t exit voluntarily, you may be subject to a re-entry prohibit of 10 years and sued for overstaying.”

Ms Dutta and her husprohibitd, Souvik Naha, applied for an indefinite exit to remain (ILR) in the UK in October last year on the grounds of staying in the country for a lengthyer period. The UK Home Office finishorsed her husprohibitd’s application but refuseed Ms Dutta’s.

The reason for refuseion was that she didn’t encounter certain needments. People who utilize for ILR, a lasting stay in the UK without necessitateing a visa, should have dwelld in the UK for a particular number of years.

The UK immigration rules also state that a person cannot be outside the country for more than 548 days in over 10 years. However, Ms Dutta was away for 691 days, 143 days more than the restrict.

Ms Dutta, who is now an helpant professor at University College Dublin, shelp she was shocked when she got an email dangerening her to exit. 

She shelp, “I have been engageed at branch offent universities in the UK and I’ve dwelld here for 12 years. A huge part of my grown-up life has been dwelld in the UK since I came to the University of Oxford to do my master’s. I never thought someslfinisherg enjoy this would happen to me.”

Mr Naha, a ageder lecturer at the University of Glasgow, shelp, “This decision from the Home Office has been terribly stressful for both of us. It has consentn a psychoreasonable toll. I sometimes give lectures about these publishs and have read articles about people swayed, but never thought it would happen to us.”

Her lawyer, Naga Kandiah, at MTC Solicitors, shelp, “These research trips were not voluntary but vital to encountering her academic and institutional obligations. Had she not underconsentn these trips, she would not have been able to finish her thesis, encounter the academic needments of her institutions or preserve her visa status.”

A lterrible request has been filed agetst the Home Office’s decision to deport Dutta from the UK. The Home Office replyed, saying it would reappraise its choice wislfinisher three months. However, there is no guarantee that they will alter their decision.