Swansea toddler faced with deportation given hope of staying

Lucy with her mother Lindsay Dutton and grandmother Janice Theron

A mother who faces having her two-year-old daughter deported has been given renewed hope she can stay in the UK.

Lindsay Dutton is a British passport holder but originally from South Africa.

She moved to Wales in August 2018 and has been living in Clydach, Swansea.

However, her daughter Lucy's child visitor visa expired and the Home Office refused to extend it - but immigration officers have now contacted her offering a lifeline.

In documents seen by BBC Wales, they have told her to apply for Lucy's indefinite leave to remain.

Ms Dutton said the family had been struggling to find funds for the process to appeal

Ms Dutton is still waiting for a final ruling but her local MP Tonia Antoniazzi said she is "delighted".

Previously, Ms Dutton said the decision to deport her daughter was "inhumane" and she had been left "devastated."

She had originally been told she would have to pay £3,000 to appeal the decision, which she did not have.

Lucy's parents have British passports, but neither was born in the UK.

They claimed citizenship through their parents - something which only extends to one generation, meaning Lucy does not have an automatic right to stay as she was born in South Africa.

The Home Office previously said all applications were considered on their individual merits and it would be inappropriate to comment on Lucy's case as it was ongoing.