Sri Lankan families in UK face separation as children ordered to leave

Reality Check
By Editor_1
Rasika Samarasinghe, a care worker who arrived in 2022, with his wife and children, who have now been told they must leave - Samarasinghe family/theguardian.com

COLOMBO/LONDON – Several Sri Lankan families legally residing in the United Kingdom have been thrown into uncertainty after the UK Home Office reportedly ordered children and dependants of migrant care workers to leave the country, despite their parents holding valid visas and permission to remain.

Among those affected is Sri Lankan care worker Varuni Arachchige, whose two children, aged eight and five, have received letters instructing them to leave the UK even though she has been granted permission to stay until 2031.

The development has sparked concern among migrant rights advocates and immigration lawyers, who say similar cases have emerged in recent weeks amid the UK’s tightening immigration policies.

Arachchige, who moved to the UK with her family in December 2022, works in the care sector in Scotland. Her husband and children entered the country legally as dependants under her care worker visa.

“We have been living legally in the UK since we arrived. My visa has been extended, but my husband and children have now been told to leave the country,” Arachchige said.

The family’s situation is particularly distressing because the children are fully integrated into British society, attending local schools and participating in community life. Arachchige has a degree in chemistry and a postgraduate qualification in analytical chemistry from Sri Lanka, and an MSc from the University of Dundee in sustainability and water security.

Her husband is a graduate in physical science and double maths. The family paid the Home Office thousands of pounds for their visa applications, pay taxes and do not claim any benefits.

Another Sri Lankan migrant worker, Rasika Samarasinghe, said the Home Office had refused permission for his wife and three children to remain in the UK as his dependents.

Samarasinghe, who arrived in Britain in 2022 and later earned a master’s degree from a UK university, said his family had followed all immigration rules and contributed to the economy through employment and taxes.

“My children are settled and doing well at school. The youngest only speaks and writes English. We have done everything legally and still face the prospect of being separated,” he said.

The cases have emerged against the backdrop of increasingly restrictive UK immigration policies aimed at reducing legal migration. In March 2024, the British government barred newly recruited overseas care workers from bringing family members to the UK, while a ban on overseas recruitment of care workers came into force in July 2025.

However, the affected Sri Lankan families arrived before those restrictions were introduced and had been admitted under rules that expressly permitted dependants to accompany care workers.

Immigration lawyers say they have seen a growing number of similar cases and warn that uncertainty surrounding family reunification could have far-reaching consequences for the UK’s care sector, which relies heavily on migrant labour.

Recent surveys indicate that tougher immigration and settlement rules could prompt many migrant care workers to leave Britain. One survey found that only around one-third of migrant carers would remain if proposed changes extending the path to permanent settlement from five years to 15 years are implemented.

Advocates argue that the policies are forcing workers into an impossible choice between continuing to provide essential care services and preserving family unity.

Migrant rights groups have condemned the practice of issuing removal notices to children, describing it as cruel and damaging to families who have legally built their lives in the UK.

Responding to criticism, the UK Home Office said it welcomed individuals who contribute to the country but maintained that immigration controls were necessary to restore order to the system. It said settlement in the UK was “a privilege, not a right” and should be earned through contribution and compliance with immigration rules.

For affected Sri Lankan families, however, the prospect of separation remains a source of anxiety, with parents warning that years of legal migration, employment and integration now appear to offer little protection against sudden changes in immigration policy.

-ENCL/Agency

Editor_1
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