Key facts
- Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, a pregnant care worker, fears separation from her family after her husband and daughter received 'go home' letters.
- The letters, sent by the UK Home Office, require her husband and daughter to leave the country.
- Warnakulasuriya is legally in the UK on a sponsored care worker visa.
- The Home Office has implemented new visa clampdowns affecting family members of care workers.
- MP Victoria Collins is advocating for the Home Office to reconsider the decision.
- The government is reviewing a proposal to extend the settlement route for migrants to 10 years.
A heavily pregnant care worker, Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, is experiencing extreme stress and fear after her husband and six-year-old daughter received 'go home' letters from the UK Home Office. Warnakulasuriya, who is legally in the UK on a sponsored visa to work as a care worker, is due to give birth via a high-risk caesarean section on June 16.
Her husband, Indika Kumara, and their daughter, Heily, are legally entitled to be in the UK as her dependents. However, the letters received on June 4 state they must leave, while Warnakulasuriya can remain. This situation has caused significant anxiety, particularly given her previous experience of losing a baby in Sri Lanka.
The Home Office's actions follow a new visa clampdown, which has seen letters encouraging return to origin countries sent to children as young as five. The government is also reviewing a proposal to double the settlement route for migrants from five to 10 years, with the changes potentially applying to those already in the UK who have not yet received settled status.
MP Victoria Collins, whose constituents are affected, has raised urgent concerns with the Home Office minister, describing the situation as 'appalling' and highlighting the community's support for the family. The MP has been inundated with emails from constituents expressing horror at the Home Office's approach.