EDINBURGH, Sept 20 (Reuters) - An Australian family waging a long and high-profile fight against deportation from Scotland has been granted leave to stay after meeting British visa requirements with a new job offer.
The predicament of Kathryn and Gregg Brain and their son Lachlan had highlighted differing British perspectives on immigration north and south of the border in the lead-up to the vote to leave the European Union earlier this year.
Kathryn Brain has now been offered a job at a hotel group which meets visa conditions, Britains interior ministry said on Tuesday.
The family had moved from Brisbane to Scotland in 2011 on Kathryn Brains temporary student visa. At that time, the visa allowed her to seek work afterwards as part of a government-backed scheme to help shore up an ageing and shrinking population in the Scottish Highlands.
But the scheme was subsequently scrapped, leaving the Brains in limbo and facing deportation.
The familys cause was championed by Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who met them in May and spoke of welcoming immigrants as a boost to skills in Scotlands workforce.
In many parts of the rest of the UK, the idea of unfettered immigration has become unpopular and the issue was at the centre of Britain's June vote to leave the European Union.
The lawmaker for the Brains constituency said the decision to allow the Brains to stay after months of uncertainty was welcome.
"We in the Highlands and indeed throughout Scotland need and want people like the Brains to contribute to our growth and prosperity ..," Ian Blackford said in a statement.
The family was not immediately available for comment.