AN AUSTRALIAN family facing imminent deportation said yesterday they will be “homeless, jobless and significantly in debt” if they are not allowed to remain in Britain.

Kathryn and Gregg Brain moved to the Scottish Highlands with their young son Lachlan in 2011 on Ms Brain’s temporary study visa.

They said their post-study work visa was “retroactively cancelled” after their arrival.

Mr Brain said it added insult to injury to discover “that this post-study work visa, which we are told doesn’t exist anymore and can’t be given to us, has this week been introduced for some prestigious English universities.”

Speaking to the BBC, he revealed that they had racked up five-figure debts in their fight with the Home Office to remain in Britain and that the prospect of deportation had made him physically sick.

Mr Brain said he hoped Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill would show “some flexibility” and called on the government “to honour the promise it made to us six years ago” when the family sold their home in Australia and committed to moving to Scotland.

Mr Goodwill’s predecessor granted a period of grace, which has already been extended, and the Home Office has confirmed that an application for the family to remain in Britain will be considered if submitted during that time.

However, if the family’s grace period elapses, the Home Office will expect them to leave and offer help if required.

A Home Office spokesman said: “All visa applications are considered on their individual merits and applicants must provide evidence to show they meet the requirements of the immigration rules.”

The Home Office dismissed Mr Brain’s claim that the post-study work visa has “been reintroduced for some prestigious English university. Last Monday, however, the Home Office launched a “carefully targeted pilot scheme” for universities to attract top international students.

Highland SNP MSP Kate Forbes has written to the Immigration Minister, urging him to transfer the Brains to the pilot scheme to give them an extra six months to find suitable employment.

Government figures show that 11,637 people were deported in the 12 months ending in March. A further 17,752 people were refused entry in the same period.