A LETTER to the Home Office has saved Aussie-born coffee-shop owner Jacky Collyer from being frogmarched out of the country by immigration officials - for now.

The 27-year-old, who moved from her Melbourne home to the UK in 2011 before marrying British husband Andy Carter in 2013, faces deportation after failing to meet the minimum income threshold for sponsoring a non-EU spouse to stay in the country.

As featured in the Adver last week, the couple, who opened up popular Faringdon Road coffee house Darkroom Espresso last August, received a letter from the Home Office demanding Jacky leaves the country by today.

But on Monday, after advice from an immigration lawyer Jacky wrote to the Home Office requesting permission to appeal the decision.

“The lawyer said that it could take between six and 10 weeks for them to respond, but as long as we’re in communication with them then I can stay.

“I have been assured by the lawyer that while there is communication between me and the Home Office they cannot detain me and we’re going by the rules.

“I’m very worried. It’s just been so surreal. We just have no idea what to do.”

The couple are weighing up the options, which include exploiting a loophole in EU law and liquidating the business.

Jacky said: “The ridiculous thing is we could go to another EU country, like Germany, France or Ireland for example, and stay there for a minimum of three months. Andy would have to work there but after a minimum of three months if we then came to the UK we would be considered under EU law and come back under the freedom of movement laws. As a family member to Andy I would be entitled to the same rights and be able to stay.

“But even we did that we don’t know if we could find someone to manage the business in the meantime, or if we would have to close it down. And even if we did manage to come back we don’t know if we’d even have the energy to start it all from scratch again.”

Jacky has been overwhelmed by the attention the saga has drawn, and touched by the reaction of Darkroom Espresso’s most loyal customers, who started a campaign to try and keep her in the country.

“We weren’t expecting anything really, just the opposite. We avoided telling people just because it was something about us, but when it got to the point where we had to tell most of our regulars, some of them were getting teary-eyed about it. They said that it was such a shame because they had just found the kind of place they really wanted to go to and we might have to go so soon.”

The couple fell foul of a UK immigration law which came into effect in 2012, which meant Jacky had to earn at least £18,600 to stay in the country.

Husband Andy, 28, said: “I was out of work at the time because I was still at university, and at the time Jacky was working in two places and she was earning more than I was.

“But I think they have refused to accept some of her pay slips because they weren’t on special paper.

“Then, a very similar case appealed against the Home Office in 2013, and many of the cases including Jacky’s were put on hold.

“This was eventually accepted, and we thought, perhaps rather naively, that so would ours, and Jacky would be able to stay, so we went about setting up the business.”

Last week a Home Office spokesman said: “All applications are considered on their merits and in line with immigration rules.

“We welcome those who wish to make a life in the UK with their family, work hard and make a contribution. But family life must not be established here at the taxpayer’s expense.”

“That is why we implemented the recommendations of the Independent Migration Advisory Committee and established clear rules for British citizens looking to bring their non-EU spouse to this country, including a minimum income threshold.”

To find out more about the campaign, visit www.facebook.com/Savedarkroom