Home Office Letters Tell Care Worker Dependants to Leave the UK
16 Jun 2026
If you are on a Health and Care Worker visa, your partner or children may be receiving letters from the Home Office telling them to leave the UK. Reports published on 11 June 2026 describe families being alarmed by these notices even though the main visa holder remains legally employed and authorised to stay.
One case reported by The Guardian involves Sachintha Warnakulasuriya, 36, a pregnant care worker. Her husband, Indika Kumara, and their six-year-old daughter Heily received what The Guardian describes as "go home letters" from the Home Office. Warnakulasuriya fears being separated from her family, including her unborn child, while her own visa remains valid.
The root cause is a series of rule changes that are now biting families whose earlier visas are expiring. From 11 March 2024, care workers in occupation codes 6135 and 6136 could no longer bring new dependants to the UK. Overseas entry clearance applications for care workers were then closed on 22 July 2025. Dependant leave granted before those changes is now running out, and many families are finding fewer extension options than they expected.
Not all letters carry the same legal effect. A reminder letter warns of upcoming visa expiry but does not shorten existing permission. A curtailment letter formally reduces leave, typically to 60 days, when a sponsor loses their licence. When checking any letter, note that "the relevant date is the date stated in the decision," not the date the letter arrived. Some families may still be eligible for a dependant extension if the main visa holder's sponsorship is unbroken. Others may need to look at alternative routes such as the partner visa, which currently requires a minimum income of £29,000. Given the stakes, affected families should check their UKVI account, read any letter carefully to confirm which type it is, and seek advice from a regulated immigration adviser before their current leave expires.
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