Query - Suspension of Candidature

My friend is a PhD student at a UK university and is sponsored by a UK charity. She enrolled in Sept 2012 and was making good progress. However, in August 2013, her mother was diagnosed with a terminal condition and the doctors estimated she would not survive 12 months. My friend discussed this with the university and they arranged to suspend her candidature for 12 months so she could go home and take care of her mother.

A few weeks ago, the university wrote to my friend to state that they would be informing the Home Office that she is no longer studying with the university and recommending that they cancel her student visa. They said she could reapply for a visa when she resumes her studies. They refused to write a letter to Home Office explaining my friend's circumstances and asking for discretion to not cancel her visa.

My friend does not want to go through the process of applying for another student visa. She is going to write a letter to the Home Office to ask them to not cancel her visa and explain her rational for that request. She has not received a letter from the Home Office informing her that the visa has been cancelled.

Can you please let me know if this is something she should pursue or if there is a better option? Also, if this is the right thing to do, what should be included in her request to the Home Office.

Thank you in advance.

Even if the visa is not curtailed she will still need to make a tier 4 application at some point as she will not have sufficient time to complete her Phd within the duration of her current visa. She can obviously write to the home office if she wishes to ask them not to curtail but I wouldn't be surprised if they curtail anyway.

University have to report to HO if any student take any deferment, and based on that HO curtails student's leave to remain. If that is the case there's no point of contacting HO as the sponsor withdraw the sponsorship and student does not have any sponsor at that time.