Urgent Call to Halt Deportation of Vital Care Home Staff
Fifteen dedicated care workers at a Glasgow residential facility are confronting potential deportation following what politicians describe as a bureaucratic failure that could devastate local care provision, according to a report in The Daily Record.
The experienced staff members at Burlington Court Care Home in Cranhill face removal from the UK after their legal status was inadvertently compromised during a company ownership transition.
The workers, who have provided essential care services in Scotland for several years, found themselves caught in regulatory complications when the care home changed hands following the previous operator’s financial collapse.
The crisis emerged when the facility’s new management failed to submit crucial sponsor licence documentation within the required 20-day window following the TUPE transfer of employees. This oversight resulted in the automatic cancellation of the workers’ Certificates of Sponsorship, effectively invalidating their legal right to remain in the UK.
Home Office correspondence received by the affected staff earlier this month confirmed the revocation of their skilled worker status and set an October deadline for departure from the country.
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney has mobilised political support for the workers, collaborating with parliamentary colleagues to challenge what he characterises as an “administrative error” with serious human consequences.
“The situation facing these dedicated professionals is completely unacceptable,” Sweeney stated. “These individuals have committed years of service to supporting Scotland’s most vulnerable residents, yet find themselves penalised for circumstances entirely beyond their control.
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The MSP highlighted the broader implications for Scotland’s care sector, emphasising the critical role played by international workers in maintaining service provision amid persistent staffing challenges.
The GMB trade union has launched a formal campaign urging Home Office officials to suspend the deportation process while seeking resolution to the administrative complications.
Kirsty Nimmo, GMB Scotland’s care sector organiser, condemned the treatment of the workers as fundamentally unjust. “Scotland’s social care infrastructure depends heavily on the expertise and dedication of overseas professionals,” she emphasised. “These individuals deserve recognition and security, not bureaucratic punishment for circumstances they neither created nor controlled.”
The case highlights persistent vulnerabilities within the UK’s immigration framework for essential workers, particularly affecting the already-strained care sector. Industry representatives regularly cite recruitment difficulties as a primary operational challenge, with international staff forming a crucial component of workforce sustainability.
The workers now have until October to secure resolution through their employer’s regulatory compliance, though union representatives argue this timeline creates unnecessary pressure and uncertainty.
The case underscores broader questions about the resilience of regulatory frameworks supporting essential workers during periods of business transition, with implications extending beyond this individual facility to the wider care sector’s operational stability.
