UK Extends Support for Overseas Care Workers Facing Deportation Risks

The UK government has renewed a lifeline for overseas care workers facing job losses and potential deportation due to exploitative employment practices or visa rule violations. However, the government has reduced the renewed international recruitment fund from £16 million in 2024–25 to £12.5 million. This has led to concerns that the support may fall short for the thousands affected.

Disbursed across 15 regional partnerships, the fund aims to help workers—many from African countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana—who came to the UK on skilled worker visas only to find themselves in precarious or abusive job conditions.

“We Came to Work, Not to Suffer”

Care workers from Cameroon have been among those hardest hit. Many sold property, borrowed large sums, or fell into debt to secure UK care jobs, only to find themselves unpaid, overworked, or living in poor conditions.

“I paid over £8,000 in fees to come to the UK,” says Esther N., a Cameroonian care worker based in Manchester. “When I arrived, I had no job, no proper accommodation, and my sponsor stopped responding. I was told I had 60 days to find another sponsor or go home. How is this fair?”

Her story reflects a growing trend of unethical recruitment practices. Between July 2022 and December 2024, the government revoked more than 470 sponsorship licences in the care sector. The Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) reports many cases of excessive working hours under threat of deportation, debt bondage due to recruitment fees, and even cases of modern slavery.

New Jobs for Some, But Gaps Remain

Between July 2024 and February 2025, about 8,800 overseas workers reached out to regional partnerships for help. Of these, only 550 found new employment, according to Care Minister Stephen Kinnock.

The UK government mandates care providers to prioritise displaced workers before hiring new recruits. However, critics argue that the system remains fragmented and slow to respond.

“The support hubs have been inconsistent,” said Gavin Edwards, Head of Social Care at UNISON. “They’re essential but need to be better resourced and coordinated. And we need a complete overhaul of the sponsorship model.”

Lack of Data, Lack of Protection

A persistent issue is the lack of data on the number of migrant care workers affected. Martin Samuels, a regional lead at the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), noted that revoked sponsorships don’t always translate to clear numbers of displaced individuals. Samuels acknowledged both the successes and challenges of international recruitment.

“Lots of parts of the country are benefiting from really high-quality workers,” he said. “But some organisations that weren’t legitimate—or simply weren’t prepared—ended up with licences to sponsor staff.”

Samuels, who is also executive director of adult care and community wellbeing at Lincolnshire Council, revealed that the East Midlands alone had seen around 3,000 sponsorship certificates cancelled.

“That might be 500 people or 3,000 people—we simply don’t know. And the truth is, some may have found new work quickly, while others may have become victims of modern slavery,” he said.

Efforts are underway to contact these workers and offer support—including job matching, English lessons, and help with driving licences—but only about 20% respond, leaving questions about the fate of the remaining 80%.

From Crisis to Reform?

Despite the funding cut, Samuels believes the £12.5 million allocation for 2025–26 is “sufficient if well-used.” The government now expects a “significant increase” in displaced staff receiving help and re-employment and better intelligence sharing to crack down on rogue employers.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has called for more engagement from care providers and for regional partnerships to keep better metrics on displaced staff, support services, and successful job placements.

A Call for Sector-Wide Sponsorship

The real solution, say many, lies in changing the visa sponsorship system itself. Workers currently tie themselves to specific employers, which creates conditions ripe for abuse.

“Sponsorship should be sector-wide and managed by the government,” said Edwards. “That way, workers aren’t hostages to bad employers.”

Martin Green, CEO of Care England, echoed the sentiment: “We must support overseas colleagues who lose roles through no fault of their own. These regional partnerships are a step in the right direction.”

How the £12.5m Fund Can Be Used

The Department of Health and Social Care has outlined several ways regional partnerships can use the £12.5 million funding to support displaced overseas care workers. Partnerships should establish employment support services, either through local councils or external organisations, while also maintaining a dedicated contact mailbox for workers seeking help. These services assist workers with tasks like CV writing, preparing for interviews, and connecting with potential employers.

Partnerships should maintain a register of ethical care providers, including those who have not previously sponsored international staff.

To ensure accountability, each partnership must track and report monthly data. This includes the number of workers securing new sponsorships, the volume of support requests received, and the level of employer engagement. These figures will be submitted to the DHSC to monitor how effectively the fund is being used.

Hope Amid Hardship

For Cameroonians like Esther and thousands of others across Africa who came to the UK with dreams of stable work and a better life, the reality has been far more complicated. Yet the renewed fund and shifting policy landscape offer cautious hope.

“We just want dignity,” Esther says. “We’re here to care for others. But who is caring for us?”

Have you been affected by sponsorship issues in the UK care sector? Contact us to share your story.

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