Lawyers and charities are urging the UK government to introduce a new visa scheme to protect migrant workers who have been exploited by unscrupulous employers.
The appeal, addressed to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, comes amid mounting concerns over widespread abuse within the country’s migrant worker visa schemes.
More than 100 solicitors, legal centres, rights groups, and academics have raised alarm over the treatment of migrants on the health and care worker visa, as well as the skilled worker route.
Many have reported being misled about their job roles, trapped by excessive debt, and subjected to mistreatment, including withheld wages, confiscated documents, and even physical or sexual abuse.
In a letter sent on Thursday, campaigners called for urgent reform, warning that the UK is at risk of breaching its international obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Article four of the Convention obliges states to prevent trafficking and forced labour, while article three protects individuals from degrading treatment.
Many migrant workers, particularly those employed through the government’s seasonal worker scheme for fruit picking, are entering the UK in vulnerable conditions.
Some pay thousands of pounds to intermediaries in their home countries for job placements that often do not materialise upon arrival. With no employment, no income, and no access to public support, many turn to the black market simply to survive.
Under the current system, workers whose sponsors lose their licence are given just 60 days to find a new employer, switch visas, or leave the UK.
Between July 2022 and December 2024, more than 470 sponsor licences were revoked, affecting over 39,000 workers.
Campaigners are now proposing a temporary ‘workplace justice’ visa. This would allow exploited migrant workers to remain in the UK legally and seek alternative employment for the duration of their original visa. They are also urging the Home Office to extend the 60-day grace period to six months, aligning the UK with more flexible international standards.
Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, said the UK is facing a crisis of migrant worker exploitation, with many people trapped in abusive situations. She warned that failure to act could lead to a national scandal.
Zoe Bantleman, legal director at the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, highlighted the imbalance of power in the sponsorship system. She stressed the need for safeguards to ensure workers can report abuse without fear of losing their right to stay.
The number of health and care workers arriving in the UK has started to decline following the government’s recent migration reforms.
In January 2024, new rules were introduced preventing overseas care workers from bringing dependants and increasing the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra stated that serious consequences await employers who violate the visa system.
She confirmed that the government has already banned companies from charging workers for sponsorship and is supporting affected care workers into new roles when their sponsors lose their licence.
Advocates say more must be done to protect migrant workers, ensure fair treatment, and uphold the UK’s human rights responsibilities.
