UK NEWS

Revealed: the middlemen ripping off foreign workers for care visas

Undercover reporter finds social media awash with agents who are charging migrants a fortune to sponsor them

Foreign care workers are in high demand — there are more than 150,000 vacancies in the sector
Foreign care workers are in high demand — there are more than 150,000 vacancies in the sector
ALAMY
Matt DathanTom Witherow
The Times

The agent behind a Facebook advert offering help in obtaining a care visa in the UK responded within minutes — with an invoice for £6,000 and a list of documents needed.

The agent told an undercover reporter that they would not even have to work as a care worker once in the UK. Their wife could also easily find a job and children could come as well.

But they would have to act quickly due to new rules being introduced by the UK government on March 11 banning care workers bringing family members with them and tighter regulation on which companies could act as a sponsor for a care visa. The price would increase to £8,000 for a “family package,” the agent said.

This was