David Cameron has agreed to look into the decision to deport a Canadian family who run the Highland shop made famous by hit TV series Monarch of the Glen.
Jason and Christy Zielsdorf have been forced to put their business up for sale after they were told they must leave the UK by June.
They have spent some £250,000 breathing new life into community hub Laggan Stores, the only shop in the village.
But the Home Office has refused to renew their entrepreneur visa, concluding the application does not score enough points to qualify.
Inverness MP Drew Hendry raised their plight in the House of Commons at this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
He called their situation “grossly unfair” and asked Mr Cameron to work with him to “achieve justice” for the family.
The Tory leader said he would make sure the Home Office looks into the case urgently.
Mr Zielsdorf, 44, whose driving licence has been revoked, said he understood the need for rules, but criticised the one-size-fits all policy.
He told the Press and Journal the entrepreneur visa favoured urban centres, comparing meeting the criteria in the Highlands to “climbing Mount Everest”.
And he voiced concerns about what will happen to his livelihood if he does not succeed in selling by the deadline.
The visa extension requirements include an investment of £200,000 and the creation of two full-time jobs that have existed for 12 months.
Mr Zielsdorf, who was previously on a student and then post-study work visa, said he thought his application – submitted with 67 letters of support from the local community – had a decent chance of being approved.
But it was judged poor – even his hefty financial investment was deemed invalid because of a holiday let on the site – and rejected last June.
It was refused again in August after an administrative review and in January, the family received a letter confirming they had no legal recourse to be in the UK.
Because they have agreed to leave willingly, the couple have been granted a few months to tie up their affairs.
Laggan Stores became known to millions of TV viewers around the world as McKechnie’s in the BBC series Monarch of the Glen.
The Home Office said it does not routinely comment on individual cases.
