The Indian wife of a former Black Watch soldier has been given 13 days to leave the country.

Gloria Macleod was detained by immigration officials at Inverness Airport last week and refused entry to the UK despite holding a valid visa.

After being given allowed to stay temporarily so she could look after her two children, Mrs Macleod was told on Saturday that she must leave by October 13.

It is unclear why her visa is in dispute and Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, is in talks with the Home Office over her case.

Mrs Macleod said: "I believed I'd have to leave on Saturday but thanks to Mr Blackford's intervention the deadline was extended until October 13.

"Everybody has been so helpful but the way I was treated by border security was awful. I just don't understand why this has happened."

Mrs Macleod moved to Dingwall in Ross-shire with her children, ten-year-old Meaghan and Siobhan, 11, in July, while her husband Robert stayed behind in Dubai to work and provide for the family.

She has a ten-year visa which is valid until 2019 and allows her to stay in the UK for periods of up to six months.

Acting on advice from the Home Office, Mrs Macleod travelled to Dubai to apply for permanent UK residence before her current stay ends in December.

Her Indian passport was seized by officials when she returned to Inverness on September 26.

Meaghan and Siobhan, who are British citizens, will be left in the care of their grandparents if Mrs Macleod is forced to leave the country without them.

Mr Blackford added: "We need to use the next few days to have this threat removed. I believe they shouldn't have effectively cancelled her visa.

"Immigration officials have the right to suspend visas but this brings up issues like the rights of the children and Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights. "I think the border agency has gone too far and we need to resolve this situation."

The Home Office said it would not "provide a running commentary on individual cases".

Last month, an Australian family from Dingwall who also faced deportation were given leave to stay following the intervention of the First Minister.

The Brain family settled in the Highlands in 2011 on a student visa and believed they would qualify for a post-study work visa, but the scheme was later scrapped.

Despite the official window closing on August 1, Mrs Brain was given a Tier 2 visa on September 20 after securing a job with the Macdonald Hotels group.