Migrant care workers employed in the UK to support elderly and vulnerable people have reported being threatened, underpaid, and charged illegal visa fees. They also said they were forced to work in poor conditions under the threat of deportation if they raised complaints.
According to a report by BBC News, employees at Lotus Care, which operates 10 care homes across north-west England, made these claims as part of an investigation into labour practices in the care sector. The workers said they were routinely made to work double shifts due to staff shortages and denied basic employment rights, including sick leave.
Workers Report Visa Threats and Poor Working Conditions
Migrant staff told the BBC that they faced pressure to stay silent about working conditions. One male worker said:
“There’s constant pressure and there’s a climate of fear because management uses the threat of cancelling visas and deporting staff to silence any complaints.”
Another female worker said the stress was overwhelming, adding, “They put more and more work on us… If anyone is calling in sick, we have to do double shifts. It’s too much.”
WhatsApp messages seen by the BBC show that Lotus Care managers warned staff that their certificates of sponsorship (CoS) – required to legally work in the UK – would be revoked.
In one message, company owner Jaydeep Patel wrote: “I take it from the silence that you’re all happy for your licences to be revoked? I will start the process without further delay.”
If a worker’s CoS is cancelled, they must find a new employer within 60 days or face deportation.
Lotus Care responded by denying wrongdoing and said its recruitment practices comply with legal and industry standards. The company said it was unaware of visa fees being charged and that it pays the Home Office directly.
Claims of Illegal Visa Fees by Recruitment Agency
Some workers said they were charged thousands of pounds for visas that, under UK law, should be provided free by the employer. A whistleblower from a Merseyside-based care agency, which helped place the workers at Lotus Care, claimed to have witnessed more than 100 migrants paying cash for a CoS between 2022 and 2023.
She said: “One migrant handed over a wad of cash in an envelope… If they all paid £10,000 per person, that’s hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
The agency denied the claims. However, the BBC spoke to a former agency staff member, Shyam Prabhakar, who was recorded discussing the sale of care home jobs and CoS for £11,500 to £12,000.
Reports inform that in a secretly recorded call, he said: “Once the interview is done and you get the offer letter, you pay half. And before we give the CoS, you should pay the remaining.”
When asked if the job was guaranteed after payment, he responded: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
When approached later, Mr Prabhakar denied involvement and said he was being framed.
Regulators and Government Respond to Abuse Reports
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) previously rated five of Lotus Care’s homes as “inadequate” or “requires improvement.” In one case at Cressington Court in Liverpool, a resident was not bathed for four weeks, and another lost six stone in six months.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Allegations of visa abuse are taken incredibly seriously and will always be investigated thoroughly.”
The government said it would continue to act against employers who abuse the visa system and may ban them from sponsoring overseas workers if they breach UK employment laws.
Wider Concerns in the Care Sector
Labour abuse in the care sector has raised wider concerns. According to Citizens Advice, their centres are seeing around 120 cases a month involving migrants in similar situations. Policy manager, David Mendes da Costa said:
“They think it’s going to pay well… but when they arrive, they find out that the hours aren’t there. They have pay withheld, and they’re often treated worse than British employees.”
He added that workers reliant on employer-sponsored visas often avoid reporting abuse out of fear of losing both their job and immigration status.
Unison’s survey of over 3,000 migrant care workers found that nearly a quarter had paid illegal visa fees.
Andy Brown from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority said: “In the first quarter of last year, 61% of all our reports were concerning abuse in the adult social care sector.”
He urged the public to report concerns, noting that warning signs include workers doing excessive hours, asking for food, and avoiding social contact.
Government agencies and regulators have said they are investigating the allegations and will take enforcement action against those found to be in violation of immigration and employment laws.
