A pub landlord who sank his life savings into his beloved boozer to keep its doors open has been warned he doesn't earn enough to stay in the UK.
Russell Young, 62, has been told he faces deportation as he is not eligible to remain in the UK.
The Australian swapped sunny Melbourne for a life with his love in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, five years ago.
He moved to join his long-term partner, 56-year-old Tracie, who managed The Sun Inn, the couple told the Manchester Evening News.
After 12 years of a long distance relationship setting alarms to speak to each other in the middle of the night, the pair finally thought they could focus on their relationship - without nearly 10,000 miles between them.
But Russ, who now owns the much-loved pub with his wife, does not make more than £18,600 in a direct salary, he was denied a five-year visa.
He said he made the move made to reinvest as much of the profits as possible back into the pub whilst business grew.
And now, after losing an appeal, he’s been told he has just a week before he’ll be deported.
“It’s ridiculous, we haven’t got a plan B,” Tracie said.
“We can’t just walk away, we’ve got nothing other than what we live in.
“We’re quite happy to just [earn] minimum wage as long as we’ve got a home and a business.
“It’s been absolutely horrendous, it’s just so much pressure and we’ve got to keep our face downstairs when we’re serving.
“He was given 14 days from last Wednesday unless he appeals and that’s really the only way to do anything - otherwise they’ll just come and collect him and deport him.”
The pair, who married a few months after Russ moved to the UK, applied for a five year visa after Russ’ two year spousal visa expired in 2019.
Just over a year earlier, in June 2018, Russ and Tracie took over The Sun Inn as the new owners, after Russ pulled out all the stops to save the beloved pub.
He used all his savings from the sale of his home in Australia to buy the site, and save it from shutting down for good.
The pair scraped together as much money as they could, including some cash from family members, to afford the £250,000 purchase price.
After facing all the hardship that’s come their way, Tracie was heartbroken to hear that her adoring husband would be forced to leave her side - putting the pub at risk once again.
She said: “I have to care for my 81-year-old mum. She’s bed-bound and needs a lot of care - and I can’t manage the pub on my own and look after her.
“I haven’t got an answer - I’m a problem solver, I look after people.
“My three grandchildren, aged three, four, and five, all just know Russ as their granddad.
“If he has to leave, it’s going to be devastating. I really don’t know what else we can do.
“The pub is our life, it’s all we’ve got. This decision will tear all our lives apart.”
Tracie and Russ are begging the Home Office to urgently review Russ’ deportation before he’s made to leave the UK on June 10.
The pair have also started fundraising to cover the cost of an appeal for the decision, after the legal costs from their last appeal hit £4,000.
More than 2,000 people have signed the couple's petition, which can be viewed here.
