• A number of SL families affected 

The UK Home Office has told children as young as five who are living legally in the UK that they must leave the country, even if their parents have been given permission to remain. The Guardian reports that it has seen five letters sent to children by the Home Office telling them that they must leave the UK. A sixth was sent to a six-month pregnant woman who lives in the UK with her husband, telling her that she must leave him and return to her country. The parents of the children concerned are on care worker visas. Until March 2024, they had been allowed to bring partners or children with them to the UK.

A care worker, Varuni Arachchige said: “We are completely shocked by the family receiving these letters.” Arachchige lives with her husband, who works in a factory, in Scotland, with two children, aged eight and five, who are settled in their local community and at the local school. She has a Chemistry degree and a postgraduate qualification in Analytical Chemistry from Sri Lanka, as well as a Master of Science in Sustainability and Water Security from the Dundee University (Scotland). Arachchige’s husband is a graduate in Double Maths and Physical Science, and both her and their children are dependents on her care worker visa. They paid the Home Office thousands of Pounds for their visa applications, did not claim any benefits and paid taxes. “We have been living legally in the UK since we arrived here on Christmas Day in 2022,” said Arachchige. “My visa has been extended by the Home Office until 2031. But, my husband and children, who are my dependents, have been told to leave the country.”

Lawyers have said that they had seen a rise in these kinds of cases in recent weeks.

The rule change came after the Home Office estimated that around 120,000 family members had accompanied 100,000 workers on care visas. A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will always welcome those who contribute to this country and wish to build a better life here. But, we must restore order and control to our borders. We have set out plans for the biggest legal migration reforms in a generation, addressing the challenges caused by unprecedented levels of migration under the previous Government. It is a privilege, not a right, to settle in the UK and it must be earned, rewarding contribution and those who play by the rules.”