Reading family told return to Ghana after visa issue

The family moved to Britain in November 2022 after Esther was granted a visa as a health and care worker.

She and Osei, who worked as teachers in Ghana, originally arrived in the Midlands, but they said work failed to materialise, and the firm that sponsored Esther has gone into liquidation.

Osei got a job as a carer through his dependent’s visa and applied to join the army, while Esther cared for their daughters, now aged three, four and six.

The family then moved to Reading, after receiving a letter in 2023 saying their visas had been cancelled – despite having almost two years left on them.

Esther was given 60 days to find a new sponsor, which she said was “terrible”, but found a job as a carer and paid £551 for a new five-year visa.

She explained: “It was frightening, I didn’t know what to do, I was shocked.”

After a month in her new role, the family paid for the remaining visa applications, but the 60-day deadline had passed and all four were turned down.