A baby was without his mother today as tighter immigration laws drove one Edmonton family apart.

Turkish-born asylum seeker Gulseren Guneysu, 31, was hoping to take up residency with her British husband Veli, 34, after her marriage last year.

But earlier this month, under stricter Home Office guidelines, she was deported to her home country and forced to leave her ten-month-old son behind.

Immigration officials told the young mother she must wait in Istanbul until they reach a decision on her bid to remain in the UK as her husband's spouse.

The decision has left Mr Guneysu, of Sweet Briar Grove, struggling to keep his Lambeth caf business afloat while looking after his young child Emre.

He said: "My child, who is still breastfeeding, misses his mother very much and he has not stopped crying because he does not understand. It is difficult to know what to do next.

"I speak to my wife every night in Turkey because she wants to hear my son's voice and every time she hears him, she bursts into tears. She is not feeling well at all.

"How long will this take? I have explained to the authorities that we have a ten-month-old child but they have told us we have to wait."

Mrs Guneysu, of Kurdish origin, arrived in the UK in February, 2003, claiming asylum from persecution. She met her husband and the couple set up home in Edmonton, marrying at Enfield register office in May, 2004.

It was when she failed to return from one of her weekly visits to immigration officials in central London last month that Mr Guneysu knew something was wrong.

He discovered his wife's asylum application had been refused and she was taken to a detention centre in Bedford, Luton. She was deported to Turkey on August 1.

She must now apply for a spouse visa which grants visitors leave to remain on the grounds of marriage, but under tighter immigration legislation introduced earlier this year, she must do so from her home country.

The couple must then prove they intend to stay together, can support themselves without claiming state benefits and show they have somewhere to live.

Edmonton MP Andy Love has written to the British Embassy in Istanbul requesting a swift decision for the sake of the couple's child. "Exceptionally and on compassionate grounds, this application should be dealt with as quickly as possible," he said.

Ertan Hasan, the chairman of Enfield Turkish and Cypriot Association, and a Jubilee ward councillor, also said he hopes the matter can be resolved. "If Mr and Mrs Guneysu give a clear message to the embassy, I do not see any reason why they should have difficulties," he said.

A spokesman for the Home Office declined to comment on individual cases.