A Filipino medical worker and his family in the United Kingdom are facing deportation after he mistakenly claimed child benefit for his son.
Paul Ermitano, who works as a cardiac physiologist, mistakenly claimed £1,138 (US$1,485) in child benefit. Ermitano has repaid the claim but the UK Home Office has since refused to extend his and his wife’s work visas, GMA News reported.
The Home Office said Ermitano is not eligible to claim any benefits because of his visa conditions. Eritano was stopped from working at Poole Hospital and his wife was not allowed to return to work.
A colleague from Poole Hospital then put up an online petition to stop Ermitano and his family from being deported. More than 3,000 people have signed the petition to allow him to stay in the UK.
A spokesperson from the Home Office said the couple’s visa application is already being reconsidered.
Ermitano was recruited to the UK in 2015 to help fill a shortage of cardiac physiologists in the country. Ermitano’s wife, who is currently six months pregnant, works as a nurse.