TWO university researchers under threat of being deported have been told they are allowed to stay in the UK.


Ernesto Schwartz-Marín, 36, and Arely Cruz Santiago, 32, a married couple who are both employed by Durham University, were told last week that they had two weeks to leave the country after their application for indefinite leave to remain was refused.


The Home Office has now reversed the decision.


A 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.”


Dr Schwartz-Marin said: "We are delighted to hear they have reconsidered our case. We couldn't be happier.


"We are so happy now we can go and do field work in Mexico and Colombia and the US and be back here to teach in October."


A petition, started last week, was signed by 71,628 people while a fundraising appeal to cover the costs of judicial review raised £22,700.
The couple, who have an 11-year-old daughter Camila, have been living in the UK since 2007 and applied for leave to remain last year. 


To qualify, applicants must have five years of continuous residence in the UK but the couple were initially refused because of 270 days spent doing fieldwork in Mexico in 2014/15 as part of their project to create a DNA database to help identify the remains of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed or disappeared in drug wars.


The Home Office rejected the claim the work qualifies as assisting in a humanitarian crisis, which would exempt them from the requirement of not being out of the UK for more than 180 days, but now says it has decided to exercise discretion to the absence guidelines. 


Dr Schwartz-Marin has now been in touch with MP Keith Vaz, head of a parliamentary committee for immigration, and is hoping to work to influence policy.


He added: "He is happy to listen to us and see how we can have a positive influence.


Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods, who had contacted the Home Office said: “I am so pleased that common sense has prevailed, and that Ernesto and Arely have been granted leave to remain in the UK. This seemed a particularly unfair decision, as this work in Mexico is part of their roles at the university. 


"It was also heartening to see the huge amount of support that the family received from people in Durham and across the UK."


 "It was clear from the correspondence I received that they are really valued members of the local community, and my thanks go to everyone who took the time to contact me to show their support for the family. 


"Despite the initial decision to refuse their application, my thanks also go to the Home Office for the quick response both I and the family received once this refusal was challenged, and the speed with which they reviewed the decision. I am delighted at the positive outcome.”