A Caribbean woman fighting deportation from the UK says one reason she can’t leave is because her Latvian husband doesn’t like spicy food.
Lynthia Calliste, 35, made headlines after revealing that her husband, Konstantin Vinakovs, struggles with Grenadian food. She argues this is one of the reasons they should stay in the UK.
Lynthia arrived in Britain in March 2018 on a six-month visa but stayed illegally after it expired. She later met Konstantin, a Latvian forklift truck driver with settled status. They married in 2022, and she applied for a marital visa. This triggered an investigation by the Home Office.
The couple now insists the food issue has been misunderstood. “My husband has tried Grenadian food, but eating it all the time in a hot, humid country is different,” Lynthia says.
She adds that Konstantin has been to hot countries like Tenerife but says visiting for two weeks is different from living there permanently. Konstantin agrees, saying he enjoys holidays but would struggle with Grenada’s climate long-term.
Lynthia told immigration officials she couldn’t return to Grenada because of her past experiences and that a hurricane destroyed her family home last September. She says she originally left the island to get space and now has no home to return to.
Lynthia’s 14-year-old son also moved to the UK in December 2019 and is now studying for his GCSEs. She argues that moving back would disrupt his education and their lives.
Her case was rejected by the tribunal in November, but she has appealed. Until the final decision, she can remain in the UK.
The judge found that Konstantin regularly eats Grenadian food and that there was no clear evidence the heat in Grenada would be too difficult for him. His social media showed him enjoying hot-weather holidays.
Konstantin, however, says he has lived and worked in the UK for ten years, pays taxes, and doesn’t want to leave his job. His family in Latvia visits often, which would be much harder if they moved to Grenada.
He questions why he should have to leave everything he has built. “My job, my friends, and my life are here,” he says.
The couple continues to fight the case, hoping to stay in Britain permanently.