Nearly 200 care providers in the UK have received government licences to recruit foreign nurses despite past violations of labour laws, a new study has found, casting a spotlight on widespread employment issues in the social care sector.
According to a report from the Work Rights Centre, 177 companies in England now hold licences to sponsor carers, although public records show these organisations have previously breached worker protections.
The study highlights significant gaps in the government’s oversight of its foreign carer scheme.
Under this system, hundreds of thousands of nurses and carers have been recruited from abroad to work in Britain, with many facing exploitation and challenging working conditions upon arrival.
Dora-Olivia Vicol, Chief Executive of the Work Rights Centre, commented: “Our research finds that breaches of employment rights are endemic in the care sector. This cannot come as a surprise to the Home Office, which granted licences to companies with a history of labour violations. Many exploited workers are reluctant to report abuses, fearing retaliation from their sponsoring employer.”
Vicol further noted that carers often endure exhausting schedules or insufficient hours, leaving them unable to earn enough to cover basic needs. In interviews with 92 carers, nearly two-thirds reported health and safety issues, bullying, or discrimination at work, while over half said they were asked to be available for shifts as long as 100 hours a week, despite limited client interaction during those hours.
The UK’s ageing population has driven up demand for elderly care, and with one-third of all care workers in England now being migrants, many have been recruited from countries like India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines.
This increase followed the introduction of a special visa for care roles in 2021, aimed at filling thousands of vacancies left after Brexit.
The report suggests the recorded violations may represent only the “tip of the iceberg,” as only a fraction of cases reach an Employment Tribunal.
The Home Office has reportedly responded by revoking or suspending over 1,000 sponsorship licences this year in an effort to address these ongoing issues in the sector.
