Pregnant care worker fears separation from unborn child after Home Office 'go home' letters
Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, legally residing and working in the UK, received a Home Office letter ordering her husband and six-year-old daughter to leave the country while she can stay, sparking fears of family separation and uncertainty for her unborn baby.
A heavily pregnant care worker in Scotland is terrified that the Home Office may try to separate her from her unborn child after her husband and first child were sent 'go home' letters. Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, 36, lives with her husband Indika Kumara, 36, and their six-year-old daughter Heily. She holds a valid visa to work as a care worker, sponsored by her employer. Her husband and daughter are legally in the UK as her dependents.
On June 4, the family received a letter stating that her husband and daughter must leave the UK, but she may stay. This comes as Warnakulasuriya has a high-risk pregnancy after losing a baby in Sri Lanka, with a planned caesarean section on June 16. "I thought giving birth would be a happy and relaxed time," she said. "Then on 4 June we got a letter. I do not know what will happen to the baby. I am so stressed. We pay our taxes and do not take anything from the state."
This follows a separate case where a letter was sent directly to a two-month-old baby. The letter said the baby's grounds did not warrant leave outside the rules. The government began clamping down on family visas for care workers after estimating 120,000 family members in the UK. Since March 2024, care workers cannot bring dependents, and an overseas recruitment ban took effect in July 2025. However, children receiving letters arrived before these bans.
Local MP Victoria Collins is urging the Home Office to reconsider, having received over 40 emails from constituents concerned about the family. Solicitor Naga Kandiah noted the Home Office abruptly changed course without explanation after approving similar applications for over two years. A government spokesperson stated that while the position hasn't changed, the route to settlement is being doubled from five to ten years, with consultations underway for those already in the UK.
