SCOTLAND — Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, a 36-year-old care worker residing in Scotland, received a letter from the U.K. Home Office on 4 June stating that her husband, Indika Kumara, and their six-year-old daughter, Heily, must leave the U.K. Warnakulasuriya is scheduled to undergo a planned caesarean section on 16 June, and her current pregnancy is classified as high-risk.
Warnakulasuriya holds a visa sponsored by her employer that permits her to work in the U.K. Her husband and daughter are legally entitled to reside in the U.K. as dependents. Warnakulasuriya previously experienced a pregnancy loss in Sri Lanka. "I was thinking that giving birth would be a happy and relaxed time for me. The medical team have tried to make me feel confident about giving birth after my previous experience of losing a baby," Warnakulasuriya said.
The Home Office letter indicated that only Warnakulasuriya could remain in the U.K. "Then on 4 June we got a letter from the Home Office saying my husband and six-year-old daughter have to leave the UK but I can stay. I do not know what will happen to the baby," Warnakulasuriya added. The letter stated, "We have considered the information you have provided and are not satisfied you have raised compelling or compassionate grounds, which would warrant a grant of leave outside the rules. None of the grounds raised could be considered to be exceptional."
The Home Office has sent similar letters to children as young as five who legally reside in the U.K., encouraging them to return to their countries of origin. These children arrived in the U.K. before visa restrictions were implemented. Since March 2024, care workers have not been permitted to bring partners or children to the U.K.
Victoria Collins, Member of Parliament for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, requested that the Home Office reconsider letters sent to Rasika Samarasinghe and his family. "It is appalling that my constituents Chamila, Rasika, and their three wonderful children, hardworking pillars of the community, are being separated so brutally by the Home Office. Chamila works as a teaching assistant and volunteers at the local church, Rasika works as a carer, and the three children are settled and thriving here," Collins said. "I have urgently raised this case directly with the Home Office minister and will continue to raise this issue with the government for this family and many others working hard for our communities," she added.
A government spokesperson stated that their position has not changed. "We will always welcome those that come to this country and contribute to our national life. But the privilege of living here for ever should be earned, not automatic," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson noted that between 2021 and 2024, the country experienced high levels of migration, with hundreds of thousands of low-skilled migrants settling. The government plans to double the route to settlement from five to 10 years and is reviewing responses to a consultation on this change.