Recommendations & Conclusions
25 items
2
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office has not had a full understanding of how immigration has helped to address skill shortages or the unintended consequences of the much higher than anticipated use of the Skilled Worker route. More people have used the Skilled Worker visa route than the Home Office anticipated in 2020. …
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The Home Office has not had a full understanding of how immigration has helped to address skill shortages or the unintended consequences of the much higher than anticipated use of the Skilled Worker route. More people have used the Skilled Worker visa route than the Home Office anticipated in 2020. It forecast that it would issue 360,000 Skilled Worker visas to overseas applicants (including dependants) over the three years to April 2024, but it issued 931,000. From when the government opened the Skilled Worker visa route in December 2020 up to the end of 2024, 1.18 million people applied to enter the United Kingdom via this route, including, 630,000 as dependants of the main applicant. The route has brought benefits and enabled employers to recruit internationally to help address skill shortages. However, there have also been consequences, such as an 80% increase in people staying permanently in the United Kingdom in 2024 compared to 2021, and the number of people claiming asylum after entering on a Skilled Worker visa rising from 53 in 2022 to 5,300 in 2024. The Home Office reviewed the use of the route in 2022—before its expansion to include care workers—and the recent White Paper sets out the occupations making use of Skilled Worker visas. However, the Home Office has not yet published its evaluation of the route, including whether it is meeting its objectives, the impact on skills shortages across different sectors of the labour market or regions of the United Kingdom, and whether the route has operated as intended. recommendation Alongside its Treasury minute response to this report, the Home Office should write to the Committee setting out the results of its evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route, including: • the costs and benefits of the route; • the extent to which the route is helping employers across sectors/regions to address skill shortages; and • any unintended consequences of the higher than expected use of the route including the impact of the
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and has set out the results of its Skilled Worker route evaluation, detailing motivations for applicants and businesses, benefits to employers, and the importance of dependants. It also acknowledged a potential unintended consequence regarding some individuals' reported salaries not meeting sponsor thresholds.
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HM Treasury
3
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office opened the Skilled Worker visa route for social care workers quickly and failed to understand the risks. In 2022, the Home Office eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector respond to vacancies created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It moved quickly to expand …
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The Home Office opened the Skilled Worker visa route for social care workers quickly and failed to understand the risks. In 2022, the Home Office eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector respond to vacancies created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It moved quickly to expand the Skilled Worker route and did not consider the risks of non-compliance with visa rules. From when the route was expanded in 2022 up to the end of 2024, 648,100 people applied for Health and Care Worker visas, including the dependants of main applicants. The Home Office identified evidence of exploitation of migrant care workers but was 4 initially slow to respond. Since 2023, it has strengthened controls to test the genuineness of applications and increase its compliance activity, which resulted in the approval rate for Health and Care Worker visas decreasing from 99% to 81%. The Home Office acknowledges that the Skilled Worker visa route has not worked well in the care sector and that it could have done more to ensure compliance with visa rules. The government has recently announced the end of overseas recruitment for care workers, as part of its efforts to reduce net migration. We are concerned about the potential impacts of this decision for the sector, which expects demands for social care roles to increase over the next 10 years. However, the forthcoming NHS 10-year plan could address the lack of parity in pay and conditions between the NHS and social care, making it easier to recruit more domestic workers in this sector. recommendation The Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) should: • write to the Committee to provide more detail on the decision to end overseas recruitment for care workers, including the expected implications for the sector’s workforce; and • work with DHSC to monitor how the route is being used during the transition period to 2028, and update the Committee on the impacts on the care sector; including the extent to which
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees, stating that DHSC uses monthly tracking and annual estimates of demographics to monitor trends in the adult social care workforce. However, the response does not provide detail on the decision to end overseas recruitment for care workers or its expected implications.
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HM Treasury
4
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The cross-government response to tackling the exploitation of migrant workers has been insufficient and, within this, the Home Office’s response has been slow and ineffective. Concerns about the exploitation of migrant workers are well understood and have been raised previously by the Committee. Tackling this exploitation needs a cross-government response …
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The cross-government response to tackling the exploitation of migrant workers has been insufficient and, within this, the Home Office’s response has been slow and ineffective. Concerns about the exploitation of migrant workers are well understood and have been raised previously by the Committee. Tackling this exploitation needs a cross-government response to prevent and detect abuses, and take enforcement action when exploitation is identified. The Home Office works with other bodies including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, which focuses on exploitation and labour market abuses, sector regulators and departments such as HM Revenue and Customs. Within this, the Home Office has not done enough to fulfil its responsibilities. It has not taken sufficient action to prevent exploitation in applicants’ home countries and identify bogus agents, relying on sponsors complying with immigration rules. Further, it is not clear whether arrangements to safeguard care workers whose employers’ sponsor licence has been revoked—around 34,000 people—are working effectively. The Home Office works with local authorities but was unaware of how arrangements were working in practice or the adequacy of support provided. We are also not 5 convinced by the Home Office’s approach to meeting its responsibility for preventing modern slavery, illustrated by it not knowing how many people with Skilled Worker visas had been referred as potential victims. recommendation The Home Office should work with relevant government bodies to establish an agreed response to tackling exploitation risks and consequences. This should include clear working arrangements for tackling labour market exploitation and abuses; an evaluation of how the regional partnerships are working and the effectiveness of channels for reporting abuses; and explicit arrangements to safeguard migrants when their sponsor’s licence is revoked.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and has established a working group on exploitation in the construction sector, committing to an update by April 2027 upon the Fair Work Agency's launch. UKVI has also taken specific steps to safeguard care workers impacted by sponsor licence revocations, directing them …
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HM Treasury
5
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office does not understand the extent to which people are complying with the terms of their visa and leaving the United Kingdom when they should. The Home Office did not assess how the risks of non-compliance with visa rules would change when the Skilled Worker route was introduced …
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The Home Office does not understand the extent to which people are complying with the terms of their visa and leaving the United Kingdom when they should. The Home Office did not assess how the risks of non-compliance with visa rules would change when the Skilled Worker route was introduced in 2020, or after care workers were added in 2022. It accepts that it could have done more to put appropriate controls in place. As evidence of exploitation of migrant workers emerged, the Home Office strengthened its response, establishing a Risk Hub to centralise risk identification, introducing new compliance interventions and conducting more detailed checks to test the genuineness of applications. However, there are still areas of weakness. For example, we are concerned that the Home Office did not understand the practical challenges of applying controls in the care sector. It referred just 1% of sponsors for enhanced compliance checks in 2024, with significant numbers of sponsors who obtained licences before the Home Office strengthened controls not subject to checks. Further, it does not understand whether those who have lost their sponsorship are taken on by other sponsors or what happens to people at the end of their visa, including whether they leave the United Kingdom after their visa expires or remain without a valid visa and work illegally. recommendation The Home Office should undertake a full assessment of its approach to tackling compliance risks to identify gaps in its response, how to target its resources, and apply lessons from the care sector to other sectors. As part of this, it should: • develop sector specific risk assessments, which are updated every six months; 6 • identify what data is needed to strengthen its response, including how to better understand what happens to people at the end of their visa and the effectiveness of checks on sponsoring organisations; and • set out a clear method of assessing what happens when visas come to an end, specifically
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and is forming a dedicated unit to leverage HMRC data for sponsorship checks, planning improvements for bulk processing, and testing new tools for organisational data and sponsor personnel checks, with a new tool launching Autumn 2025. It is also implementing eVisas/ETAs to …
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HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office on its management and operation of the Skilled Worker visa route.1
Government response AI summary
The government agrees, outlining that key sectors reliant on overseas recruitment must produce workforce strategies, and the MAC will only recommend occupations for the TSL if effective plans are in place. The MAC's work on the TSL is expected to conclude by July 2026, and …
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HM Treasury
9
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
When considering the design of the Skilled Worker visa route, the Home Office told us it is important to have the best sectoral workforce analysis and get the balance right between the domestic labour market and migration. It also acknowledged the need to reflect government policy on net migration.14 The …
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When considering the design of the Skilled Worker visa route, the Home Office told us it is important to have the best sectoral workforce analysis and get the balance right between the domestic labour market and migration. It also acknowledged the need to reflect government policy on net migration.14 The Home Office has drawn on the work of the Migration Advisory Committee, which undertakes independent labour market analysis, when considering the need for potential changes to Skilled Worker visas.15 It has also engaged with departments to try to understand the likely levels of demand and skill needs across different sectors.16
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by December 2025, committing to strengthen collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and developing guidance for sector experts to create workforce strategies.
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HM Treasury
10
Recommendation
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
Despite this, we were concerned that collaboration was not effective and that there had been insufficient consideration of the impacts of rule changes. In particular, we were not convinced that there had been sufficient collaboration between the Home Office and departments on the role of immigration in sectoral workforce strategies.17 …
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Despite this, we were concerned that collaboration was not effective and that there had been insufficient consideration of the impacts of rule changes. In particular, we were not convinced that there had been sufficient collaboration between the Home Office and departments on the role of immigration in sectoral workforce strategies.17 One result of this is that the Home Office has not had a full understanding of how the Skilled Worker route works for different regions of the United Kingdom, including the devolved nations.18 For example, we highlighted a mismatch between the needs of the care sector—which has skill shortages in rural areas—and where most migrant workers are brought in to work.19 We urged the Home Office to better understand how the route is working across the whole of the United Kingdom, working with departments, and relevant bodies, to develop an up-to-date understanding of the skill shortages and salary levels across the devolved nations. The Home Office accepted that there was more it could do to join-up across government and identified the need to formalise processes for cross-government working at an official level to improve the effectiveness of collaboration.20
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to improve collaboration and understanding of the Skilled Worker route across the UK, setting a target date of December 2025. It will use the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to strengthen cross-government collaboration and develop guidance for workforce strategies, …
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HM Treasury
11
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
In July 2024, the government announced plans to develop closer links between immigration policy and sectoral labour market policies.21 The Home Office said this would lead to a better understanding of how to flex Skilled Worker visas.22 This includes bringing together bodies such as Skills England and equivalent organisations in …
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In July 2024, the government announced plans to develop closer links between immigration policy and sectoral labour market policies.21 The Home Office said this would lead to a better understanding of how to flex Skilled Worker visas.22 This includes bringing together bodies such as Skills England and equivalent organisations in devolved nations, the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, Department of Work and Pensions and Migration Advisory Committee.23 Shortly after our evidence session, the government published its Immigration White Paper, which formalised 14 Q 10 15 Q 21 16 Q 12 17 Qq 16, 18 18 Qq 19-25 19 Q 14 20 Qq 5, 12, 16 21 C&AG’s Report, para 2.10 22 Q 6 23 Qq 13, 16, 18, 24 12 these arrangements by establishing the Labour Market Evidence Group. The aim is to strengthen the evidence base on the state of the labour market and the role that different policies should play, rather than always relying on migration.24 The Home Office told us that it had begun to consider how this body will operate, and hoped to get the necessary processes and structures in place in a matter of months.25 Understanding how the Skilled Worker visa route is operating
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by December 2025, committing to strengthen collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and developing guidance for sector experts to create workforce strategies.
Read full response →
HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The number of people who have used the Skilled Worker visa route is much higher than the Home Office originally expected, driven by large increases in the number of Health and Care Worker visas.26 The Home Office forecast that it would issue 360,000 Skilled Worker visas to people entering the …
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The number of people who have used the Skilled Worker visa route is much higher than the Home Office originally expected, driven by large increases in the number of Health and Care Worker visas.26 The Home Office forecast that it would issue 360,000 Skilled Worker visas to people entering the country over the period 2021 to 2024 but issued 931,000 visas over this period.27 The Home Office told us that the Skilled Worker visa route has been used flexibly to successfully target skill shortages and pressures that have arisen across the labour market. It also pointed to analysis which showed the benefits of bringing workers, particularly higher-skilled workers, into the economy.28
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation and refers to its already published evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route. This evaluation provides insights into visa holder motivations, business benefits, and potential unintended consequences regarding reported salaries.
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HM Treasury
14
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office has not completed an evaluation of the use of Skilled Worker visas since 2022, which was too early to provide a full view of impacts and pre-dated the significant changes to the route in 2022 and 2024.30 As a result, it does not have a full understanding …
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The Home Office has not completed an evaluation of the use of Skilled Worker visas since 2022, which was too early to provide a full view of impacts and pre-dated the significant changes to the route in 2022 and 2024.30 As a result, it does not have a full understanding of how the 24 Home Office, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, May 2025 25 Q 17 26 Qq 9, 15 27 C&AG’s Report, para 8 28 Qq 5, 10 29 Q 16; C&AG’s Report, para 8 30 Q 8; C&AG’s Report, para 2.11 13 route is being used, its contribution to the economy or impact on skill shortages across different sectors and regions.31 The Home Office began an evaluation in 2024 looking at how salary thresholds are set, how changes to the route have worked and its collaboration with other government bodies. It told us this would be published later in 2025.32 The Immigration White Paper contained data on the use of the route across different occupations, but this focused on inflows and did not assess the impact of the route on different sectors, regions of the United Kingdom or the wider economy.33 The expansion of the Skilled Worker visa route to the social care sector
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's implicit recommendation for an evaluation but states it has already published its evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route on May 12th. The response summarises some findings regarding motivations for coming to the UK and potential issues with salary …
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HM Treasury
15
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
In 2022, the government eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector address skill shortages and respond to the demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.34 By the end of 2024, 648,100 people, including 389,600 dependants, had applied for a Health and Care Worker visa since the …
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In 2022, the government eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector address skill shortages and respond to the demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.34 By the end of 2024, 648,100 people, including 389,600 dependants, had applied for a Health and Care Worker visa since the route was expanded, making up 65% of all applications for Skilled Worker visas over this period.35
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Government response AI summary
The government states it agrees with the committee's observation. It notes that DHSC already monitors trends in the size and demographics of the care workforce using various intelligence sources and commits to writing separately to the Committee on this point.
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HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office acknowledged that it could have done more to understand the way the care sector is structured and assess the potential risks, given that it was extending a model designed for highly skilled workers to a different demographic.38 The Home Office said it quickly identified significant issues with …
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The Home Office acknowledged that it could have done more to understand the way the care sector is structured and assess the potential risks, given that it was extending a model designed for highly skilled workers to a different demographic.38 The Home Office said it quickly identified significant issues with Health and Care Worker visas, with some sponsors applying for volumes of visas that exceeded their capacity to employ workers.39 It increased its compliance activity in 2023 and refused 31 C&AG’s Report, para 8 32 Qq 6, 8 33 Home Office, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, May 2025 34 C&AG’s Report, para 6 35 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.9, 1.10 36 Qq 5, 9, 33 37 Q 9; C&AG’s Report, para 7 38 Qq 9, 11, 13, 35 39 Q 33; IMM0021 14 significantly more Health and Care Worker visa applications in 2023 and 2024, with the approval rate of 81% at the end of 2024, compared to over 99% in 2021.40 The Home Office also revoked the licences of 470 care providers over the period July 2022 to December 2024, out of 9,000 sponsors in the adult social care sector.41
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's implicit recommendation for greater understanding of the care sector, committing to write separately to the committee by October 2025 and July 2028. It also notes that DHSC already monitors trends in the size and demographics of the care workforce.
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HM Treasury
18
Recommendation
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
We remain concerned, however, that the Home Office has not done enough to tackle unethical practices and the exploitation of migrant workers in the social care sector.42 Evidence provided by UNISON highlighted that some employers were exploiting workers’ vulnerability, making them work excessive hours and remain on call during their …
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We remain concerned, however, that the Home Office has not done enough to tackle unethical practices and the exploitation of migrant workers in the social care sector.42 Evidence provided by UNISON highlighted that some employers were exploiting workers’ vulnerability, making them work excessive hours and remain on call during their time off.43 We also covered these issues in our report on reforming adult social care in England.44 The Home Office accepted that the route had not worked well in the social care sector and had led to some bad practices, including evidence that the route has been used for trafficking.45 The Home Office said it had learned lessons, but could have established time limits or review points, or had more tests and conditions for compliance and safeguarding.46
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's recommendation to tackle exploitation. It describes ongoing collaborations and a working group, which will continue as the Fair Work Agency is launched by April 2027, to address abuse and exploitation. UKVI has also taken specific steps to protect care …
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HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Skilled Worker visa system is based on a sponsorship model where a migrant’s right to remain in the United Kingdom is dependent on their employer.49 This reliance makes migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation, and there is widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions.50 …
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The Skilled Worker visa system is based on a sponsorship model where a migrant’s right to remain in the United Kingdom is dependent on their employer.49 This reliance makes migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation, and there is widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions.50 Concerns about exploitation of migrant workers are widely documented, although there is no reliable data on the extent of abuses.51 Written submissions from the Work Rights Centre, Homecare Association, UNISON, Care England, Central England Law Centre and the Cavendish Coalition highlighted the problems in the current system, as well as the need to address the exploitation of migrant workers.52
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by April 2027, outlining collaboration with various bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, launching the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, and taking steps to protect care workers from exploitation.
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HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
We asked the Home Office what steps it was taking to reduce the risks of exploitation of migrant workers.53 The Home Office said exploitation was a systemic problem that cannot be tackled through enforcement of immigration rules alone, although it accepted that it had a role to play. The Home …
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We asked the Home Office what steps it was taking to reduce the risks of exploitation of migrant workers.53 The Home Office said exploitation was a systemic problem that cannot be tackled through enforcement of immigration rules alone, although it accepted that it had a role to play. The Home Office is responsible for ensuring people comply with visa rules and safeguarding migrants, but works with other bodies, including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), which focuses on exploitation and labour market abuses, sector regulators and other departments such as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).54 The Home Office said that it routinely shares information and works with these bodies, as 49 C&AG’s Report, footnote 32 50 Q 61; C&AG’s Report, para 3.23 51 Q 1; C&AG’s Report, para 15 52 IMM0003; IMM0004; IMM0005; IMM0006; IMM0007; IMM0009 53 Q 61 54 C&AG’s Report, para 3.24 17 well as the Border Force and police. It also works with agencies under the forum of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, which includes the GLAA and HMRC.55
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by April 2027, detailing its collaboration with enforcement bodies, the establishment of a working group for the construction sector, the planned launch of the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, and steps taken to protect care workers.
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HM Treasury
23
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office seeks to identify sponsors not behaving appropriately. In 2023, it began to apply its genuine vacancy test more rigorously, scrutinising employers to ensure they had guaranteed work for applicants.56 The Home Office also said every employer is expected to do their own compliance checks when they are …
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The Home Office seeks to identify sponsors not behaving appropriately. In 2023, it began to apply its genuine vacancy test more rigorously, scrutinising employers to ensure they had guaranteed work for applicants.56 The Home Office also said every employer is expected to do their own compliance checks when they are employing someone.57 Despite this, we were not convinced by the Home Office’s approach, highlighting that sponsors who may be involved in illegal practices are less likely to comply with the necessary checks and that many sponsors had received licences before the Home Office strengthened its controls. The Home Office was unable to tell us how many of these sponsors had been subject to its compliance checks.58
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's concerns regarding sponsor compliance. It describes ongoing collaborations and a working group to address exploitation, which will continue as the Fair Work Agency is launched by April 2027. UKVI has also taken steps to protect care workers affected by …
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HM Treasury
24
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
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. UNISON provided us with details of its survey, which found that, of 3,000 people who came to work in the care sector, 15% had paid …
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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. UNISON provided us with details of its survey, which found that, of 3,000 people who came to work in the care sector, 15% had paid money to an employer and 9% had paid money to a recruiter or agency before coming to the United Kingdom.59 We asked the Home Office how it ensures people are not exploited before they come to the United Kingdom. It acknowledged that it could not control sponsors’ use of agents. Sponsors are responsible for meeting obligations on the use of overseas agents and the Home Office said that it relies on their self-compliance with sponsorship guidance. The Home Office has created a brochure to support applicants in their home countries, providing information at all visa application centres on visa fees and what people can expect from their sponsor.60 It told us that it also takes action when it receives intelligence referrals, including from the Foreign Office, suspending or revoking sponsor licences where appropriate.61
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to combat exploitation by collaborating with various enforcement bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, and launching a Fair Work Agency by April 2027, alongside steps to protect care workers and support regional partnerships.
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HM Treasury
25
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
If an applicant loses their employment with a sponsor, or their sponsor’s licence is revoked, their visa is limited to 60 days to find employment with a new sponsor.62 After this, they are not legally entitled to stay in the United Kingdom unless they find an alternative employer to sponsor …
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If an applicant loses their employment with a sponsor, or their sponsor’s licence is revoked, their visa is limited to 60 days to find employment with a new sponsor.62 After this, they are not legally entitled to stay in the United Kingdom unless they find an alternative employer to sponsor their stay or obtain another type of leave to remain in the country.63 The GLAA 55 Q 61 56 Qq 34, 61, 62 57 Q 44 58 Qq 40-43, 45 59 Qq 61, 66; IMM0005 60 Qq 65-68 61 Qq 69-70 62 Q 43 63 Q 60 18 has estimated that 34,000 people in the care sector have been affected by the Home Office revoking sponsor licences.64 We asked the Home Office about arrangements for these workers. The Home Office told us it has not been cancelling care workers’ visas since late 2023.65 However, in written evidence submissions, FLEX and the Work Rights Centre said that the Home Office has been known to delay issuing curtailment letters, which can create uncertainty, with workers lacking clear information on this policy.66
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Government response AI summary
UKVI has taken steps to protect care workers affected by sponsor licence revocations, using discretionary powers not to cancel leave and instead directing them to regional partnerships for alternative employment. This approach was adopted due to the high level of non-compliance in the adult social …
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HM Treasury
26
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office has been working with 15 regional partnerships— established by DHSC—to support care workers who lose their employment if their sponsor’s licence is revoked.67 These arrangements seek to enable care workers to find new employers by matching them to genuine care providers with vacancies in their local area.68 …
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The Home Office has been working with 15 regional partnerships— established by DHSC—to support care workers who lose their employment if their sponsor’s licence is revoked.67 These arrangements seek to enable care workers to find new employers by matching them to genuine care providers with vacancies in their local area.68 The Home Office writes to affected people to direct them towards these hubs and provides a list of licensed employers.69 We were concerned, however, that these arrangements were not working effectively, with only small numbers being successfully placed into new employment, and many workers left displaced and fearing deportation. The Home Office told us that DHSC run the regional partnerships and that it could not provide any detail on how these arrangements were working.70 A Freedom of Information request from the Royal College of Nursing indicates that only 3.5% of workers who approached regional partnerships were successfully supported into new positions.71 While the White Paper states the government will close care worker visas to new applications from abroad, migrant workers already in the United Kingdom—who are able to extend or switch visas—may still be affected if their sponsor’s licence is revoked.72
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Government response AI summary
The Home Office continues to support international recruitment regional partnerships and has commissioned evaluations of the regional fund for 2023-24 and 2024-25, with findings expected in 2025 and 2026, to assess their effectiveness.
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HM Treasury
27
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
UNISON, Central England Law Centre, the Cavendish Coalition and FLEX provided written evidence which raised concerns about the risks of migrant workers becoming victims of modern slavery.73 The Home Office told us that it has modern slavery provisions in place to support affected people, and provides displaced workers with details …
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UNISON, Central England Law Centre, the Cavendish Coalition and FLEX provided written evidence which raised concerns about the risks of migrant workers becoming victims of modern slavery.73 The Home Office told us that it has modern slavery provisions in place to support affected people, and provides displaced workers with details of helplines.74 However, the National Audit Office report found the Home Office was not able to provide data on the number of referrals relating to people with a Skilled Worker visa. UNISON stated that immigration enforcement and lack of firewalls 64 C&AG’s Report, para 15 65 Q 51 66 IMM003; IMM0024 67 Qq 43, 60 68 Qq 10, 51 69 Q 60 70 Q 59 71 IMM0014 72 Home Office, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, May 2025, para 81 73 IMM0005, IMM0007, IMM0009, IMM0024 74 Qq 59-61 19 between departments has damaged the government’s work to tackle modern slavery, leaving victims facing deportation rather than receiving appropriate support.75 Tackling non-compliance with visa rules
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to address risks of modern slavery by collaborating with various enforcement bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, and launching the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, to ensure individuals work for reputable sponsors.
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HM Treasury
28
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
The Home Office did not conduct a thorough assessment of compliance risks when the Skilled Worker route was introduced in 2020 and did not re-assess risks when the route was expanded to include care workers in 2022.76 We asked why the Home Office seemed to have shown little curiosity about …
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The Home Office did not conduct a thorough assessment of compliance risks when the Skilled Worker route was introduced in 2020 and did not re-assess risks when the route was expanded to include care workers in 2022.76 We asked why the Home Office seemed to have shown little curiosity about how the route was operating, and the extent to which people were exploiting loopholes and flaws in the system. The Home Office acknowledged that it did not have experience of dealing with care in the immigration system but said it had to respond quickly to expand the route to include care workers and was busy with other priorities, including the new Ukraine schemes. The Home Office said that if it had had more time, it could have done more to foresee the challenges and put appropriate controls in place.77
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to improve compliance risk assessments, continuously updating sector-specific risks, using digital tools for alerts, forming a dedicated unit for salary checks with HMRC data, and introducing a new tool in Autumn 2025 to enhance checks on sponsor personnel.
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HM Treasury
29
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
After the route’s expansion to include care workers in 2022, the Home Office began to identify concerns with the use of the route, including intelligence referrals from Border Force that people arriving in the UK with a Health and Care Worker visa didn’t speak English or were not aware where …
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After the route’s expansion to include care workers in 2022, the Home Office began to identify concerns with the use of the route, including intelligence referrals from Border Force that people arriving in the UK with a Health and Care Worker visa didn’t speak English or were not aware where they were going.78 In response, the Home Office strengthened its compliance activity. For example, in 2023, it introduced a Risk Hub to centralise risk identification and safeguarding and more rigorously applied checks to test that vacancies are genuine.79 It has also worked closely with DHSC to tackle exploitation in the care sector, such as introducing the requirement for sponsors to be registered with the Care Quality Commission, although it acknowledged that this focused more on patient care than employment regulation issues.80
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to continuously update sector-specific risk assessments, utilise digital tools for risk alerts, form a dedicated unit for salary and employment checks, and introduce new tools by Autumn 2025 to improve checks on sponsor personnel and enhance compliance.
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HM Treasury
31
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
We asked the Home Office whether there was sufficient scrutiny to tackle the level of non-compliance with visa rules. In particular, we noted the decrease in the number of full-time equivalent compliance officers in the Home Office, which fell from 65.5 in 2021 to 46 in 2024, and asked whether …
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We asked the Home Office whether there was sufficient scrutiny to tackle the level of non-compliance with visa rules. In particular, we noted the decrease in the number of full-time equivalent compliance officers in the Home Office, which fell from 65.5 in 2021 to 46 in 2024, and asked whether referring just 1% of sponsors for enhanced compliance checks was enough.83 The Home Office said it had introduced new practices, such as digital audits, and that it seeks to target resources to the highest risk cases, including potential trafficking or sponsors exploiting migrant workers.84 It told us it had reacted to fix problems that it identified and was seeking to be more productive and agile.85 Despite this, we were concerned that the Home Office is still reacting to problems rather than fixing the system.86 For example, we asked the Home Office about progress made in removing sponsors who may have already taken advantage of the system. It told us that it was tightening up the sponsor register and had increased the number of sponsor licence revocations, from 337 in 2023 to 1,494 in 2024.87
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and will implement several measures by March 2027, including continuously updating risk assessments, using digital tools for risk alerts, forming a dedicated unit for salary and employment checks, and introducing a new tool in Autumn 2025 to improve checks on sponsor personnel.
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HM Treasury
32
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
We asked the Home Office whether it knows if people leave the country when their visa expires. The Home Office told us the only way that it can tell if people are still in the country is to match the data it holds on individuals with the passenger data it …
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We asked the Home Office whether it knows if people leave the country when their visa expires. The Home Office told us the only way that it can tell if people are still in the country is to match the data it holds on individuals with the passenger data it receives on people using airlines.88 The Home Office has not analysed exit checks since the route was introduced and does not know what proportion of people return to their home country after their visa has expired, and how many may be working illegally in the United Kingdom.89 The Home Office was also unable to say how effectively regional ‘hubs’, which match individuals working in the care sector whose employers have lost their sponsor licence with a new sponsor, were working to facilitate visa holders finding new employment.90 The Home Office said there was scope to strengthen exit checks as part of its wider digital transformation of border security systems and introduction of eVisas. The Home Office acknowledged that this problem was not solved and said that it seeks to tackle illegal working by requiring employers to carry out 81 Q 62; IMM0004 82 Qq 62-63 83 Qq 35-39, 54; C&AG’s report, para 3.20 84 Qq 36-38, 70 85 Qq 35, 54 86 Qq 34-35 87 Qq 40-42, 51-52; C&AG’s Report, para 3.19 88 Qq 46-48 89 Qq 50-51; C&AG’s report, para 2.14 90 Q 60 21 ‘right to work’ checks, working with other bodies which have a role, such as HMRC and local authorities, and using its immigration enforcement services to visit illegal workplaces on an intelligence-led basis.91 91 Qq 49-51 22 4 Customer service Providing a good customer service
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Government response AI summary
The government is implementing eVisas and Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) to improve data quality on arrivals and departures, and is developing a new digital service to track visa compliance and empower Immigration Enforcement to act against illegal overstayers and workers.
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HM Treasury
39
Conclusion
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work…
Accepted
Written evidence from the Homecare Association, ILPA, British Future and Kings College London, the Cavendish Coalition, the Confederation of British Industry, the Law Society and Care England sets out concerns with the application process. They highlighted issues such as complicated and lengthy guidance, the complex sponsorship system and poor customer …
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Written evidence from the Homecare Association, ILPA, British Future and Kings College London, the Cavendish Coalition, the Confederation of British Industry, the Law Society and Care England sets out concerns with the application process. They highlighted issues such as complicated and lengthy guidance, the complex sponsorship system and poor customer service.110 Applicants and sponsors are also unable to receive real-time updates on progress with their applications, with 58% of customer complaints received by the Home Office relating to applicants being unable to track the progress of their application.111
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation but states it is committed to continuous improvement in customer service, is improving channels for customers to seek progress, and has recently launched a visa processing times tool for self-service updates.
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HM Treasury