The number of foreign social care workers reporting that they are trapped in exploitative contracts has risen sixfold in the last three years, in the latest evidence of widespread abuse of migrants in the British care system.
Data from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) shows that the organisation was contacted 134 times in 2023-24 by care workers reporting that their employers were demanding large sums of money from them to cover “hiring costs”, including visa processing, if they left their jobs. This figure was up from 22 such complaints just three years ago.
The rise in complaints about repayment clauses, which in one case ran to £10,000, underlines how a recent explosion in recruitment of carers from abroad has allowed unscrupulous employers to target vulnerable workers.
Nicola Ranger, the RCN general secretary, said: “Rogue employers appear to be forcing migrants to pay thousands of pounds just to leave jobs and threatening them with deportation. Those who come to the UK to care for the vulnerable deserve so much better than this exploitation.
“Sadly, we know the surge in exploitation cases being reported to the RCN is only the tip of the iceberg. Migrant workers are routinely intimidated and left fearful of speaking out, even having their passports withheld. They are also much less likely to be members of trade unions.”
A combination of the pandemic and post-Brexit immigration controls prompted a massive staffing crisis in Britain’s social care sector, which ministers in the previous government tackled by making it much easier to hire care workers from abroad. Between 2020-21 and 2023-24 the number of staff recruited internationally into adult social care rose from 10,000 to 94,000, according to data from Skills for Care.
However, the new system, which allowed care providers to bring in workers quickly as long as they met certain salary thresholds, has led to widespread accusations of mistreatment.
The Guardian revealed earlier this year that dozens of migrant workers employed by 11 different British agencies had accused their employers of exploitation. All of these workers had paid “visa processing costs” of as high as £20,000, often to middlemen in India, for guaranteed work in the UK that did not materialise.
In the wake of those revelations, Yvette Cooper, then the shadow home secretary, promised that Labour would launch an investigation into the issue if it won the election.
Some workers are seeking redress through the legal system. A British employment judge recently ruled that one worker who had not been given his contracted hours could be eligible for compensation worth more than £10,000.
The RCN has been tracking cases of workers who try to leave their jobs only to be told by their employers that they owe thousands of pounds in repayments, often for what the employer calls “hiring costs”. The organisation has seen a rise in such cases over the past few years, receiving 17 calls from its members in May alone.
In one case, a worker reported that they had been suffering from severe bullying and harassment. When they tried to leave their role, they were told they would have to pay £10,000 – despite no such figure being listed in their contract.
Another care worker told the RCN that they had been assaulted and racially abused at work, prompting them to quit their job. After doing so, they were told they owed more than £3,000 for visa costs.
A third had their employment immediately terminated after they reported to their employer that they had tested positive for Covid, and they were then hit with a large repayment fee despite having no job or income.
Lawyers have said some of the practices in the British care industry show signs of trafficking and modern slavery, where punitive repayment clauses are common.
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority reported that it received 123 reports of modern slavery and human trafficking in the care sector in 2023 and that the sector accounted for more than half of all reports of forced labour.
The RCN is now repeating its call for a government investigation into labour practices in the area.
Ranger said: “The exploitation being allowed to spread is deeply inhumane and undermines the entire social care sector. Ministers were right to commit to an investigation during the election campaign and this must now happen with urgency. Lives are being destroyed every day and this cannot wait. We need action to protect our migrant care workers and raise standards in the sector.”
A government spokesperson said: “There has been an unacceptable rise in the recorded abuse and exploitation of care workers in the adult social care sector.
“The sponsorship system, which holds providers to highest standards, has highlighted these unethical practices, and urgent work is taking place across the sector to address this.”