A Brazilian mother and father have been left distraught after the Home Office told them their two young sons, who have spent most of their lives in the UK, must return to Brazil alone. Ana Luiza Cabral Gouveia, a senior NHS nurse, and Dr Hugo Barbosa, a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Exeter, can continue living and working legally in the UK, but the Home Office has ruled that their children, Guilherme Serrano, 11, and Luca Serrano, eight, have no right to stay.
A letter sent to Guilherme warns that staying in the UK illegally could lead to him being detained, prosecuted, and having his driving licence taken away. Gouveia said: 'I could not in a million years have seen this coming from the Home Office. This letter from them makes me feel as if my kids are criminals. Since I came to the UK in 2019, I have worked for the NHS, paid my taxes and done everything correctly.'
According to Barbosa, the children do not read or write in Portuguese and do not speak the language fluently. 'Going back to Brazil would disrupt their emotional and social stability. The children are already experiencing anxiety due to the uncertainty about their future,' he said. Guilherme has a place at a grammar school, which would be lost if he leaves.
The family's difficulties stem from the parents' divorce a couple of years after arriving in the UK. Gouveia and the children arrived as dependants on Barbosa's visa, but after the divorce she secured her own skilled worker visa in 2022. Barbosa was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2024, but Gouveia is not yet eligible. Home Office rules require both parents to have settlement or one to have sole responsibility for the children, which is not the case here.
A Home Office refusal letter to Guilherme stated: 'I am satisfied that there are no serious or compelling reasons to grant you settlement... you could return to Brazil and continue your education in Brazil where you would have the option to attend an English-speaking school. Whilst this may involve a degree of disruption in family life this is considered to be proportionate to the legitimate aim of maintaining effective immigration control.'
Gouveia added: 'I have always felt so proud and happy to be working for the NHS. Why are my innocent children being treated like this?'
