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Migrants on UK Skilled Worker visa face debt, fake agents, exploitation

A key British work visa route used by thousands of Indian and other foreign professionals leaves migrants vulnerable to abuse by their sponsors, a parliamentary panel has warned. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which reviews government spending, raised concerns on July 5 over the structure of the Skilled Worker visa and the Home Office's failure to prevent exploitation. How the Skilled Worker visa works The Skilled Worker visa allows people from outside the UK and Switzerland to live and work in the UK for an approved sponsoring employer. It replaced the earlier Tier 2 (General) work visa and is a major part of the country's post-Brexit immigration system. Applicants must have a job offer from a UK employer with a sponsor licence, and their right to remain in the country is tied to that employer. This dependency, according to the PAC, increases the risk of exploitation. Parliament flags abuse, debt bondage and fake agents 'There is evidence that applicants have been charged extortionate fees for Skilled Worker visas in their home countries, before they come to the United Kingdom,' the PAC report notes. It adds that workers have been subjected to debt bondage, long working hours and poor conditions. These issues have been particularly severe in the social care sector, which was opened to foreign recruitment in 2022 to address shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Government moved swiftly to open up the visa system to help the social care system cope during the pandemic… Our report finds that this speed came at a painfully high cost – to the safety of workers from the depredations of labour market abuses, and the integrity of the system from people not following the rules,' said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, PAC chair and Conservative MP. He added that the Home Office still lacks basic data, including how many visa holders have been identified as victims of modern slavery or have overstayed their visas. PAC criticised the Home Office for not doing enough to stop fraudulent recruitment practices in migrants' home countries. Many applicants have fallen prey to bogus agents promising jobs in the UK and charging illegal fees. Adis Sehic, policy manager at the Work Rights Centre, said the findings confirmed concerns of widespread abuse involving at least 39,000 migrant care workers, including many Indians. 'This report is yet more damning evidence that the principle of sponsorship, which ties migrant workers in the UK to their employer, is inherently unsafe for workers and, in our view, breaches their human rights,' said Sehic. 'Structural reform of the sponsorship system must urgently be undertaken if this government is to meaningfully uphold its commitments relating to employment and human rights.' Drop in Indian work visas amid rule changes According to UK Home Office data, Indian nationals accounted for 81,463 of the 369,419 work-related visas granted by the UK in 2024 — the highest of any nationality at 22%. However, this marks a sharp 50% drop from 162,655 visas issued to Indians in 2023. The number of main applicants fell by 53% and dependents by 48%, likely reflecting new restrictions introduced in early 2024. These included: • Raising the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas to £38,700 • Banning social care workers from bringing dependents • Reducing the number of jobs eligible for lower salary sponsorship • Increasing the income requirement for spouse or partner visas from £18,600 to £29,000 Within the Indian cohort: • 34,954 were main applicants (43%) • 46,509 were dependents (57%) • 30,301 held Health and Care Worker visas (37%) • 27,922 were on Skilled Worker visas (34%) Other categories included senior or specialist business workers (6,219), creative workers (1,860), international sportspeople (241), religious workers (148), seasonal workers (101), and ministers of religion (70). The Home Office has said it will formally respond to the PAC's recommendations in due course. A spokesperson said, 'We have rolled up our sleeves to fix the broken immigration system, suspending the highest total of skilled worker sponsor licences since records began in 2012, raising the Skilled Worker threshold back to degree level and ending overseas recruitment to the care sector.' The government also recently released its Immigration White Paper, proposing further changes to the Skilled Worker route and international recruitment practices.