UK’s care worker visa system under fire over migrant exploitation claims

The UK’s care worker visa scheme, introduced post-Brexit to tackle chronic staffing shortages in the social care sector, is now facing sharp criticism over allegations of widespread exploitation of migrant workers.

According to The Guardian, the UK’s Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, has condemned the visa route as a “blunt instrument” that has created conditions for “horrific” abuse within the sector.

Lyons argues that the scheme’s structure has left thousands of migrant workers vulnerable, calling for urgent reforms to prevent further exploitation.

The care worker visa route was introduced in February 2022 by the Conservative government to address staffing shortages exacerbated by Brexit.

However, concerns have grown over the lack of adequate safeguards for migrant workers entering the UK under the program.

“In an already high-risk sector where there were large-scale shortages, we needed workers to fill the gap. But a blunt instrument was applied, allowing incredibly vulnerable people to be exploited due to the absence of a well-structured policy,” Lyons stated.

Over 470 care providers have had their licenses to sponsor migrant workers revoked due to fraud and exploitation concerns.

Approximately 39,000 workers have been affected by these revocations.

More than a quarter of the 155,000 care workers recruited to the UK between February 2022 and December 2024 were employed by firms that lost their sponsorship licenses.

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Lyons described the number of revoked licenses as “deeply troubling”, emphasizing that these cases highlight serious flaws in the system.

Investigations into the care sector have uncovered severe cases of worker exploitation, including:

Employment experts warn that the visa scheme’s structure, which ties workers to a single employer, makes them highly susceptible to abuse. Many workers are afraid to report mistreatment due to the risk of losing their jobs and facing deportation within 60 days.

The number of migrant care workers arriving in the UK has dropped significantly in 2024, largely due to new restrictions on family members accompanying visa holders.

Additionally, data from Unseen, which operates the Modern Slavery Helpline, showed that 918 potential victims of modern slavery were identified in the care sector in 2023, compared to just 63 in 2021.

Several advocacy groups, including the Work Rights Centre, are calling for immediate changes to the visa system, including:

Abolishing the tied visa system to allow workers to change employers without risking deportation.

Implementing a licensing scheme for companies recruiting from abroad.

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Imposing harsher penalties on firms engaging in exploitation.

Dr. Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, criticized the government’s response, stating that their actions so far amounted to “tinkering” with a much larger systemic issue.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock acknowledged the growing concerns and stated that the government is committed to “cracking down on shameful rogue operators”. He confirmed that steps were being considered to ensure that victims of exploitation could continue their careers in social care.

Additionally, the UK government plans to establish a Fair Work Agency by 2026 or 2027 to oversee labor rights and workplace mistreatment in the care sector.

Despite these assurances, critics argue that the Conservative government has yet to take meaningful action against companies involved in exploitation, and there are growing calls for a full-scale investigation into the treatment of migrant care workers.

With mounting pressure from labor rights organizations and opposition parties, the future of the UK’s care worker visa scheme remains uncertain, as policymakers face growing scrutiny over the system’s failures.