Report Issues “Damning Verdict” On Government Social Care Visa Policy
A rush to hire carers from overseas resulted in a “shocking” wave of abuse of worker visas, according to damning report revealed last week.
The reports author, David Neal a former boarders and immigration inspector said the implementation of the social care visa policy demonstrated the Home Office’s “limited understanding of the social care sector, its underestimation of demand for Care Workers after it agreed to add the sector to the UK’s shortage occupation list in December 2021 allowing more people to come from abroad to fill jobs.
It created a system that “invited large numbers of low-skilled workers to the UK country who are at risk from exploitation”, the report revealed.
“This report details the shocking results of the policy’s implementation,” Mr Neal said, citing examples of a care home that did not exist being issued 275 sponsorship certificates and 1,234 certificates being granted to a company that stated it had only four employees when given a licence.
Inspectors discovered migrants with care visas working illegally in two out of eight enforcement visits during the period August and October 2023.
“To their credit, front-line staff engaging with migrant care workers showed themselves to be aware of the serious risks to those workers and eager to document and address exploitation where they found it.” The report said.
It took the Home Office until late summer 2023 to begin making “policy and operational changes” to address the most “flagrant examples of both exploitation and abuse”, the report adds.
UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said:
“The government doesn’t understand social care. If ministers had even a basic grasp of the sector, they would have reformed it long ago. But instead, the inept approach to the awarding of care visas has given dodgy employers total freedom to exploit overseas staff at whim.
“Thankfully, many migrant care workers are becoming wise to poor treatment by some of the more unpleasant operators in the sector.
“Things have got so bad that many migrant workers may head for other parts of the world where their skills will be welcomed with open arms. The government has failed everyone in care – the good employers, the staff and all those in need of support.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have already intervened to stop the flow of overseas care workers entering the UK where there is no genuine role for them to undertake and taken robust action against businesses committing labour exploitation.
“We do not tolerate illegal activity in the labour market, and we will continue to revoke licenses from those who abuse the system. New measures already in force will cut the rising numbers of visas granted and address significant concerns about high levels of non-compliance, worker exploitation and abuse.
“As with all our policies, we will keep them under close review and if needed, we will not hesitate to go further.”
