A BLACKWOOD mother will face the supreme court in a fight to keep her American husband in the UK.

As the Argus previously reported, Della and Jonathan Brown, who have three children together, needed £4,000 to appeal the Home Office’s decision to deport Iraq war veteran Mr Brown. Della Brown took out a loan for the initial £1,000 required to lodge an appeal - which was successful - and now needs a further £3,000 to pay the costs of a pending supreme court date - which could be called at any time.

Mr Brown had an application to remain in the UK rejected after trying to extend his six-month citizen visa. His wife of 11 years, Della Brown had originally tried to get her husband a spouse visa but, because she earns less than £18,000 as a medical lab assistant, she was turned down. The couple say the strain of the situation has had a massive impact on their lives.

Mrs Brown said: “I ended up in hospital after having a mini-stroke and have been suffering with insomnia, the doctors put that down to the stress.

“I have been completely stressed out with fear that we can’t raise the money and not knowing when the case might be heard. The whole situation has been unbearable.”

The current appeal is the family’s last resort after the couple first appealed to the Home Office under Article 8 of the of the European Convention of Human Rights and the right of their three children, Rhyse, 10, Tim, nine, and Lily-Rae, three, to have a father at home.

Mrs Brown, 32, said this was also turned down. “I feel scared and let down,” she said.

The Browns met on an online chatroom in 1999 and were married in 2004. At first Mrs Brown could only visit her husband in 90-day blocks, she found work as a waitress in the states, but the couple’s children found it difficult to settle and she returned to Wales in June 2012.

To support his family, Mr Brown stayed in Texas to work for the US government, but applied for a citizen visa last year after he was made redundant. The Home Office granted this but turned down his application for a permanent visa. To donate to the Brown’s fundraising visit http://bit.ly/2a0XB4o