My name is Adriana Ortega-Zeifert and I am raising funds to pay for my family’s leave to remain application and legal costs so that my children and I won’t be deported from the UK.

My story

I came to the UK as an international student from Mexico in April 2010 to pursue a PhD at the University of Manchester. I was awarded a scholarship to pursue my innovative research. My supervisor, Professor Peter Gardner, has stated that I’m:

However, I was forced to take an interruption from my PhD studies as a result of mental health issues brought on by years of sexual, emotional and financial abuse as well as alienation of my children at the hands of my ex-partner & father of my children.

Because of severe depression and PTSD caused by the abuse I experienced and the side effects of an antidepressant that I was taking at the time, I accidentally failed to complete sending documents for a second extension to my visa application to the Home Office. As a result, the University of Manchester withdrew me from my PhD studies.

Compounding matters, I have been instructed by the family court that my three daughters who have lived the majority of their lives in Manchester must return to Mexico to visit my ex-partner & father of my children who abused me.

As a result of the hostile environment policy, if my children are forced to visit their father, they might never be able to return to the UK for 10 years or more. My children are adamant that they do not want to return to Mexico and want to remain in Manchester. Family courts ruled that if my daughters fail to return to Mexico then I will be imprisoned in the UK.

Why my daughters & I matter

My three daughters are exceptional and academically gifted students who have given so much to the Manchester community. If we are forced to return to Mexico, there is no way that we would be allowed to re-enter the UK for many years to come.

I have received tremendous support from the Manchester community with over 2,000 individuals having signed my Change.org petition demanding that the Home Office grant us leave to remain status in the UK. Additionally, a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State, the Leader of the Labour Party, the Shadow Secretary of State and the University of Manchester Vice Chancellor has garnered over 100 signatures from academics and UCU members .

I am now awaiting a hearing on 2nd October 2019, which could lead to our deportation. I want to be able to resume my cutting edge research at the University of Manchester, but I’m being stifled by bureaucratic laws in addition to the hostile environment policy that creates real barriers for migrant women survivors of domestic violence to gain justice.