Tess Henry, 41, of Swan Grove, is entitled to British citizenship but has been refused leave to stay in the UK three times.

Despite originally being told that she could sort out her application while living in Britain, Tess, who has spent most of her adult life living and working in Australia has now been told to quit the UK and leave behind her 63-year-old mum, Jennifer Jeeps, who is terminally ill with cancer.

Speaking to the Journal Tess said: "I have had shattering news today. After nearly four months of individually reviewing my case immigration have refused me leave to stay even on compassionate grounds. I have been told I must leave the country as soon as possible."

Newmarket MP Richard Spring, who has supported Tess's case to stay in Britain said: "It is beauracratic madness. I have constantly argued that she should be allowed to stay on compassionate grounds. Yes, we need a tough and rigorous immigration system but this is simply unreasonable.

"I have done everything in my power to try to prolong her visit and will continue to do so."

Tess returned home to Exning in 2006 when she realised how ill her mother was. In January last year she applied to register as a UK citizen but was told she did not qualify because her mother was born in South Africa and had acquired her citizenship through her British father who was serving with the RAF.

A former school pupil in Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds, Tess trained as a nurse at Newmarket Hospital after first coming to Britain at the age of five.

She lived under permanent resident status until the mid 1970s when she was legally entitled to be registered as a British citizen.

Her mother made the appropriate application through a local solicitor who was later struck off and the registration certificates he had obtained for the family were lost. The immigration authority denied having any record of them.

A spokeman for the Border and Immigration Agency said it could not comment on individual cases.