A former Strictly Come Dancing star has revealed she could be made homeless with her young family after a catastrophic Home Office error wiped her legal status from official records.
From Dance Floors to a Housing Crisis
Professional dancer Anya Garnis, 43, a US citizen, was attempting to rent a property in Totnes, Devon, with her British husband and their two small children when the system failed her. The Home Office's Landlord Checking Service (LCS) incorrectly stated she did not have permission to live in Britain, despite her having resided here legally since 2013.
When she contacted the Home Office to complain, she was told her application for leave to remain might have been lost, effectively rendering her 'illegal' in the eyes of the system. "I was absolutely shocked and devastated," said Anya, who has also worked as a choreographer on the hit BBC show.
A Decade in the UK Thrown into Chaos
Anya, who was born in Latvia but moved to the US at 17, first came to the UK to work on Strictly, initially as an on-screen professional and later behind the scenes. She obtained a temporary UK visa and married her husband, Sunna Van Kampen, a successful nutrition influencer and vitamin brand owner, in 2017. The couple have two children, aged three and one.
Although foreign nationals can typically apply for indefinite leave to remain after ten consecutive years, Anya and Sunna spent a brief period living in Austin, Texas, meaning she has always lived in the UK on rolling temporary visas. She applied to renew her permission in September last year, coinciding with the system's switch from physical cards to online visas.
After hearing nothing for months, a message on the Home Office website suggested her application was being processed. Home Office guidelines state that applicants have automatic leave to remain while their applications are processed, so she had no initial cause for concern.
The System Failure and Its Consequences
The crisis erupted last month when the family tried to rent a new home. The estate agent used the Landlord Checking Service, which relies on Home Office records, and Anya was rejected. Upon calling the Home Office, she was told they could find no record of her and that her details may have been lost.
"We have to leave the place we're living now in a couple of weeks, but have been told we can't rent or buy anywhere else," Anya explained. "In effect, this will leave us homeless in Britain."
Even after reapplying as instructed, the LCS continued to reject her. She is now trapped: unable to secure housing but also unable to leave the country, as doing so would cause her visa application to be dismissed entirely.
Her husband, Sunna, expressed his fury: "She would have been treated better if she had washed up on the beach at Dover. It's disgusting."
Anya described the ordeal as incredibly frustrating, stating, "It shouldn't be this complicated. I wouldn't even call it a service - it's more like a chase." She also revealed she knows other highly skilled Americans who have been forced to abandon their lives in Britain due to similar bureaucratic catches.
The Home Office has declined to comment on her individual case.
