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Manikarnika Dutta, 37, a historian from Oxford University, has been threatened with deportation for exceeding the allowed number of days abroad while conducting research in India.
Oxford historian Manikarnika Dutta, 37, is facing deportation from the UK. (Photo: X)
A high-achieving Indian historian from the University of Oxford has been threatened with deportation by the UK Home Office for apparently spending too much time conducting her research on historic Indian archives in India.
Manikarnika Dutta, 37, is a historian at the Oxford University whose research involves studying archives in Indian cities and attending a series of international leaves. She is an assistant professor at University College Dublin, in the school of history.
This appalling, and clearly ridiculous.Oxford historian faces deportation from UK after doing research on India … in India. Home Office told Manikarnika Dutta to quit Britain for spending too many days abroad for studyhttps://t.co/d5U6xizz83
— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) March 16, 2025
So why is she facing deportation from the UK? The Home Office rules state that people who apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK based on long residency of 10 years or more can remain abroad for a maximum of 548 days during a 10-year period prior to applying for the leave.
Indefinite Leave To Remain (ILR) is an immigration status in Britain that allows individuals to live, work, and study without any time restrictions. It is also referred to as “settlement” and serves as a pathway to British citizenship.
However, Dutta has remained outside the UK for a total of 691 days, according to a report by The Guardian, prompting the Home Office to reject her right to continue living in the country. The office also rejected her right on the basis that she does not have a family life in Britain, despite her living in south London with her husband and fellow academic Dr Souvik Naha, with whom she has been married for over 10 years.
‘Never Thought Something Like This Would Happen’
Dutta, who has conducted research in the universities of Oxford and Bristol, said she was shocked after receiving an email asking her to leave the country. “I have been employed at different universities in the UK and I’ve lived here for 12 years. A large part of my adult life has been lived in the UK since I came to the University of Oxford to do my master’s,” she told The Observer.
“I never thought something like this would happen to me,” she added. Her lawyer Naga Kandiah said her research trips to India were not optional but essential to fulfilling her academic and institutional obligations and without which she would not have been able to complete her thesis or maintain her visa status.
Dutta arrived in the UK in September 2012 on a student visa and later acquired a spouse visa post-marriage. She had applied for indefinite leave to remain in the UK in October last year, based on long residence. Her husband’s application was approved, but hers was declined.
Dutta applied for an administrative review of the refusal, but the Home Office maintained its decision to reject her application. “You must now leave the United Kingdom. If you don’t leave voluntarily, you may be subject to a re-entry ban of 10 years and prosecuted for overstaying,” said the office.
Dutta Challenges Home Office Order
However, Dutta’s lawyer has launched a legal challenge against the Home Office’s decision to remove her from the UK. The Oxford historian has also received support from academic colleagues.
“My client’s case exemplifies how such situations severely undermine the UK’s reputation and its ability to attract and retain global academic talent – particularly at a time when strengthening international relations is crucial,” said Kandiah.
Dutta’s fate hangs in limbo as the Home Office said it will reconsider its decision in the next three months. “If the UK genuinely seeks to position itself as a global leader in academia and innovation, it must foster an environment that is welcoming to top talent,” Dutta’s lawyer added.
Her husband, who is a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, said, “This decision from the Home Office has been terribly stressful for both of us. It has taken a psychological toll. I sometimes give lectures about these issues and have read articles about people affected, but never thought it would happen to us.”
The UK Home Office has launched a major escalation in immigration enforcement this year, deporting thousands of failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders, akin to US President Donald Trump’s style.
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London, United Kingdom (UK)
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