A woman who could be kicked out of Australia in a matter of days has launched a campaign in a desperate bid to remain in the country she has called home for more than a decade.

Belinda Checkley’s world was turned upside down when she was told at Christmas that she had three months to prepare for her deportation from the country after her visa was cancelled.

The 36-year-old, who has lived in Byron Bay for 11 years and is originally from Chichester, has been working towards gaining permanent residency and wants to begin a family with her current partner, who is from Australia.

She has appealed to the Australian government and even started a petition on Change.org, which has garnered almost 25,000 signatures, but to no avail.

She has blamed “negligent lawyers” for her predicament.

Ms Checkley obtained a sponsorship at a cafe after she fell in love in the Australian town while backpacking in 2012.

But after years of “building friendships, spending time with my community and finding my partner” she found out that the cafe she worked at had changed ownership and her visa was immediately cancelled.

“I obtained a sponsorship at a busy cafe, confident that my work ethic, performance and character would mean I could emigrate from my home in the UK,” wrote Ms Checkley on her petition.

“Unfortunately, negligent lawyers prolonged this straightforward process. Then, after six long years of employment at the cafe, the business changed owners in 2020.

“This simple transfer of ownership led to the immediate cancellation of my sponsorship and visa – and I wasn’t allowed to transfer my previous years to a new employer.

“Just like that, with one email, six years of my life were completely erased.”

Ms Checkley’s grief was further compounded when her former partner took his own life in 2019.

She appealed the visa cancellation citing “unique circumstances”.

“This was an unimaginably painful experience and it is something that will be with me forever,” she said.

“With the sale of the cafe resulting in the immediate cancellation of my visa and sponsorship, alongside my personal loss, I appealed this unique set of circumstances to the Department of Immigration.

“My case rose to the level of Ministerial Intervention – to be personally reviewed by the Minister of Immigration himself. 

“So for another two full years – during the pandemic - I lived, worked hard, and waited anxiously for an outcome.”

However, at Christmas, she found out her appeal had been rejected and she was told she had three months to prepare for her deportation.

She was also told that once she was outside Australian borders, she would be legally barred from re-entering the country for the next three years.

“I have no life back in the UK," she said.

“It’s a cold and distant memory.

“I’ve given 11 years of my life to this country. To face rebuilding my life after years of hard work and dedication is surreal and unfathomable.”