UK Work Visa Scam: What is it, why has it left migrants stranded and what's the solution? Explained in 5 points

Thousands of migrant workers in the United Kingdom, including Indians, have been left stranded after the Health and Care Worker Visa misfired and scams took over, on what was perceived to be a means of generating employment amid a rise in demand.

Here is everything you need to know about the Health and Care Worker Visa scam and how the government is tackling it.

1. What is the UK Health and Care Worker Visa?

The now-discontinued Health and Care Worker Visa introduced by the UK government allowed medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care. The visa was meant to last for five years before applicants could request for an extension.

2. When and why was the Health and Care Worker Visa introduced?

The Health and Care Worker Visa was introduced by Boris Johnson’s government in 2020, as the number of vacancies in the social care sector — which looks after the elderly, sick and disabled — soared due to Covid-19, Brexit and an ageing population. Employers were given a fast-track route to recruit staff from abroad by applying for licences from the Home Office to sponsor workers.

3. What is the Health and Care Worker Visa scam?

However, as a result of few checks done on employers approved for offering sponsorships, a widespread scam soon followed with reports of companies charging hefty amounts of money from applicants, which was illegal under the scheme. Moreover, many employers paid their workers too little, overworked them or gave them no hours at all. The workers were afraid to report their employers as their right to stay was directly tied to their employment in that workplace.

4. How is UK govt tackling the issue?

After a scrutiny, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) began investigating and revoked at least 471 employers’ sponsorship licences. However, that meant over 40,000 migrant employees could no longer work, leaving them in a limbo and in search of an alternative employer. The UK government's initiative to match these exploited migrant care workers with employers has helped less than 4 per cent find jobs, according to a Freedom of Information request, Bloomberg reported. 

More than 28,000 migrant care workers whose visas were tied to their employer had to be referred to government job-finding “hubs” between May 2024 and April 2025, according to data released by the Home Office in response to an FOI from charity the Work Rights Centre. However, the data showed that only 941, or 3.4 per cent, of the workers reported finding alternative employment.

5. What's next?

Emails sent out to displaced workers urging them to visit their local recruitment hub have, in many cases, gone unanswered, according to one government source quoted by Bloomberg. Many are thought to have gone into so-called “black market” work, such as prostitution, in order to make a living, according to another government official. In other cases, employers have rejected workers applying through the hubs because their English language isn’t satisfactory, or they fail other requirements.