A care worker’s family have been told they must return to Ghana after they were unable to afford the cost of replacement visas.
Esther Kondu, her husband Osei, and their three primary school age daughters were told they had to get new visas when the company that had sponsored her to come to Britain had its licence revoked by the Home Office.
The family said they could not afford the £2,755 cost on top of the expense of moving to Britain, and after the employer failed to come up with the promised work.
The Home Office said it does not comment on individual cases.
Immigration lawyer Clement Mensah is handling the family’s case for free as they seek an administrative review of the Home Office decision.
He said the Home Office had a duty to carry out more thorough checks on those it licences to sponsor migrants.
Reading Central MP Matt Rodda has said he will be writing to the immigration minister, and the Home Office needed to “treat the family decently”.
He added: “These are people who are working hard, they’re doing vital work for the country, making a real contribution, they should be treated properly.”
A Home Office spokesperson said they had revoked approximately 450 sponsor licences in the care sector since July 2022 as it “continues to clampdown on abuse”.
Source: BBC News
