In May 2024, The Guardian and The Bureau for Investigative Journalism reported thousands of migrant health and social care workers have been threatened with deportation after the Government took enforcement action against their employers.

The investigation found over 3000 care workers had their certificates of sponsorship cancelled by the Home Office in 2022 and 2023. In 94% of these cases the certificate was cancelled because the company had its right to sponsor workers revoked. These workers then face deportation if they do not find another new sponsor within 60 days. The company, however, faces no further consequences other than losing its license, and can otherwise continue operating as normal by hiring domestic workers.

In one case, two migrant workers from India paid GBP 18,000 for care jobs in the UK. Upon arrival, they were given no shifts and were not given the accommodation promised by their sponsor, 24/7 Flex Care. The company was then stripped of its license by the Government, and the two workers were told their sponsorship was no longer valid. They now face returning home to high debt. The Care Quality Commission reported a ‘culture of fear’ existed in the company, with workers feeling unable to speak of inspectors amid fear of repercussions. 24/7 Flex Care did not respond to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s request for comment.

In another case, a Nigerian care worker employed by S&K Care 24 was not given the work promised to her. The company said it had not secured care provision contracts with local authorities, and so its sponsor license was revoked. The migrant worker now risks losing her visa if she does not find another sponsor within 60 days.