For many families and couples affected, the new rules have thrown their futures into uncertainty.
‘I haven’t told my kids yet – they would be horrified’
Jessica Mason, 36, met her husband, Sanas Sahib, 37, in Dubai 12 years ago. Their son, Tariq, was born in 2014. They moved to Sri Lanka, Sanas’s home country, in 2017. Their daughter, Layla, was born soon after. The family had planned to stay in Sri Lanka for a while, but in 2022 the country fell into political and economic chaos .“There was no fuel and there were power cuts 12 to 13 hours of the day. We were in 35-degree heat. The real crunch point for us was when the hospitals were basically empty, no anesthesia, no anti-venom, no bandages. My husband said: ‘I think you need to get the kids out of here for a few months,’” said Jessica.
She took their children to Newcastle while Sanas remained in Sri Lanka. They applied for an exceptional circumstances visa, which was denied . Sanas was stuck in Sri Lanka for 10 months before the decision was overturned after a media campaign. He came to the UK in February. “It was incredibly traumatic for my kids. They have valid fears of being separated from their dad again,” she said.
Sanas is in full-time employment but he does not earn above the threshold. Jessica is self-employed as an online language teacher and studies part-time. With high childcare costs, she looks after the children and plans her work around this. “I could earn more money but
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