A South African doctor living in Ireland faces deportation because of a delay in getting a post-Brexit family permit needed to get her to her husband in the UK.
Corrinne Giles, who is currently in Donegal, said she has been "living out of a suitcase" over the past five months as she awaits the permit that will reunite her with her husband in Derry, just 25 miles away in Northern Ireland.
The Government's website promises that the process only takes a few weeks - so Ms Giles, 48, a frontline doctor, didn't extend her work contract, meaning she is now out of work.
She is also living in a "constant state of anxiety" as she fears being deported to South Africa as her residency rights in Ireland come to an end, the Guardian reports.
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Ms Giles, whose mum, brothers and sisters are all in the UK, moved to Ireland two years ago with her husband Brett after the couple spent 15 years in Africa.
But eight months ago the Giles started looking into the possibility of moving to England as a returning couple where one spouse isn't British.
Prior to Brexit, non-British spouses of UK citizens could return to the nation without needing a visa.
But that changed post-Brexit, with the government scrapping the visa-free route for both EU and non-EU spouses of British people living in the EU.
It has, however, vowed to keep it in place till March 29 next year to enable non-British spouses to access the EU Settlement Scheme.
The couple found a visa-free route under the Brexit deal whereby non-EU applicants can enter Britain as long as they have a UK family permit, the Guardian reports.
Mr Giles, who works in marketing, returned to the UK before December last year so he could carry on exercising his EU freedom of movement rights, and moved to Derry in Northern Ireland.
His wife, who worked for Letterkenny university hospital’s A&E unit, stayed behind, thinking it wouldn't take more than a few weeks. But five months on, there is still no sign of the permit.
“I’m absolutely emotionally drained and exhausted mentally and physically,” Ms Giles said.
“I’m living in this constant state of anxiety every day, checking emails that will determine my future.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought that two years after coming to Europe, I would be sitting on the couch, unemployed, disillusioned, disheartened."
“All I want is a normal life," she added.
Labour MP Peter Kyle blasted the application of the new post-Brexit rules as he told the Guardian: "To be so hostile and obfuscatory towards a British citizen, to make it difficult for a British citizen to even get information on how to resolve a situation caused by government policy, is borderline unconstitutional."
In a statement to the Mirror, the Home Office said: “Eligible family members of British citizens returning with them to the UK from the EU should apply for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
“Each case is considered as quickly as possible and on its individual merits but processing times can vary depending on the volume and complexity of applications.”
