Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, a 36-year-old pregnant care worker from Sri Lanka living legally in Scotland on a sponsored work visa, faces possible separation from her family after the UK Home Office sent "go home" letters to her husband and six-year-old daughter on June 4, 2026 [1, 2].
Warnakulasuriya's husband, Indika Kumara, and their daughter, both legally entitled to remain in the UK as her dependents, have been ordered by the Home Office to leave the country, while she is allowed to stay [1, 2]. She described the increasing stress this causes, saying, "I do not know what we will do. We pay our taxes and do not take anything from the state. We are trying to contribute our services to the UK and do everything legally" [1].
Her pregnancy is classified as high risk due to a previous pregnancy loss in Sri Lanka. She is scheduled for a planned caesarean section on June 16, 2026 [1, 2]. Warnakulasuriya said, "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" [1].
The six-year-old daughter has settled well in Scotland and speaks English with a Scottish accent. Warnakulasuriya said they have not explained the Home Office's orders to her because she is "so happy and settled here" [1].
Similar "go home" letters have been sent by the Home Office to other children as young as five legally living in the UK. In one case, a letter was sent directly to a two-month-old baby stating no compelling grounds justified an exception to immigration rules [1, 2]. Another Sri Lankan care worker family in Scotland also reported the Home Office ordered her husband and children to leave despite her valid visa and compliance with immigration rules [2].
The Home Office began cracking down on family visas for care workers after an estimated 120,000 care workers were living in the UK as of 2023 [1].
The next significant date is Warnakulasuriya’s planned caesarean section on June 16, 2026 [1, 2].
