A WOMAN faces deportation despite having a British husband and his child.

The Home Office says American Tammy Lawrence has been staying in Britain illegally for nearly four years.

Tammy, 46, met husband Brian over the internet 13 years ago and he went to her Iowa home in the US.

They married at Colchester Register Office in April 2003 and then returned to the US to live.

Later, however, in 2011 they came back to Jaywick, as husband Roger, 49, has family there.

The couple, and their daughter, Tiffany, 12, live in Sea Crescent.

Tammy arrived in the UK in 2011 as a visitor.

But two bids to get extensions for her stay have been refused.

A Home Office letter seen by the Gazette says the deportation threat centres over the issue of whether Tammy is the carer of daughter, Tiffany.

Tammy has seen a solicitor over the dispute but says she has yet to supply information on this which should have been done by February.

Tammy has been fighting to stay in the country for two years.

In 2014, the Gazette reported about an earlier bid by the Home Office to deport Tammy – along with daughter Tiffany – despite her having a British passport.

The move led to a campaign to let Tammy and Tiffany stay in the country.

A legal battle and help from Clacton MP Douglas Carswell came to nothing.

Mr Carswell’s office has again offered this week to investigate and see if anything can be done to help.

Still a US citizen, Tammy says she is not allowed to work and has to report to the police monthly.

“They can come and get me anytime. They don’t say how long I have got. I want to be with my husband. The family would be torn apart,” she said.

“They haven’t said why I must leave. That’s what is confusing for me. I would like to know why.

“It makes my husband so angry that so many can come into the country,” she added.

The letter from the Home Office also warns of the consequences of Tammy staying illegally in the UK.

The Gazette contacted the Home Office about the issue and the Government department released a statement saying: “All applications are considered on their individual merits and in accordance with the immigration rules.”

Two years ago, the Home Office also said:  “Mrs Lawrence applied for residency in the UK on the basis that she is the sole carer of a British citizen.

“Her application was refused because she submitted insufficient evidence to support her case and we wrote to her clearly informing her of this decision.

“It has been made clear to Mrs Lawrence that she has the right to appeal or to submit an alternative application for leave to remain in the UK.”