What Migrant Homecare Workers Face in the UK

Many people in Homecare Voices' network came to the UK via the Health & Care Worker Visa scheme. We find that many of our migrant colleagues are subjected to exploitative working conditions and, in the worst of cases, modern slavery. Through no fault of their own, migrant homecare workers are suffering exploitation in every corner of the country as they go about providing essential support for people in their homes.​​

In 2021, the Health & Care Worker Visa was introduced, inviting people from overseas to plug long-reported gaps in the UK's adult social care workforce.

It was left to employers to identify prospective overseas workers, despite thousands of care-providing companies having no such links. This gave rise to a side-industry of middle-men recruiters who charged illegal fees of sometimes thousands of pounds to applicants. People invested their trust the UK's international reputation as a just society, yet by the time many of our colleagues arrived from abroad, they were already in debt and had effectively sold off their lives back home. 

For those who took up roles in homecare as opposed to in residential care settings, the likelihood of facing serious difficulties once in the UK was far greater. That's because most homecare workers are only paid for the time they spend at care visits as opposed to their full working time, meaning it is often impossible for our migrant colleagues to earn the minimum salary threshold set by the Home Office without being subjected to exploitative conditions.

The sheer glut of homecare providers serving each area also means hours can be hard to come by. Furthermore, many individuals taking up roles in homecare were unaware they would be required to purchase their own car for work once they arrived in the UK, adding additional unexpected costs before work could even begin. After 12 months in the UK, individuals must pass the UK’s theory and practical driving tests in order to legally continue driving, putting their ability to work in further jeopardy.

There is no financial safety net to help migrant care workers facing such a predicament because migrant workers have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) which prevents them from accessing publicly funded schemes like Universal Credit, social housing and homelessness services. NRPF status consigns many of our migrant colleagues and their dependents to a life below the poverty line, all while they provide essential support to disabled, ill and elderly people.

If the Home Office finds out that a worker is not meeting the minimum salary threshold, their employer's sponsorship license may be revoked. It is incredibly difficult for migrant care workers to identify a new employer to sponsor them despite a government funded scheme to help match displaced care workers with new employers. If the time on someone's visa runs out before they are able to find a new sponsor, they must return to their home country. This threat of deportation to individuals who - through no fault of their own - are not being given the work they were promised, prevents them from feeling able to raise the alarm about their situation. In the worst cases, people find themselves victims of modern slavery, employed by unscrupulous companies who house workers in substandard accommodation and monitor their every move.

In July 2025, the government closed the Health & Care Worker Visa route to new overseas applicants. At the time of writing, migrant care workers have spent almost 18 months waiting to find out whether the government's proposal to retrospectively extend their eligibilty for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five to fifteen years will go ahead. As if the situation were not already tough enough, this proposal in the midst of it all has been detrimental for peoples' mental health. Also at the time of writing, the government has recently announced that migrant workers who are a proven victim of modern slavery will be able to apply for work with any employer. This is a step in the right direction, although the definition of modern slavery is very specific and is unlikely to apply to migrant homecare workers who have been subjected the labour exploitation as a result of the underlying pay model in homecare.

How does Homecare Voices support people affected by these issues?

Homecare Voices has become a trusted source of informal peer-led support for migrant homecare workers. Via our community, migrant homecare workers have been able to connect with others in similar positions.

We sign-post individuals to appropriate sources of formal advice and support, such as the Work Rights Centre, Unison, Acas, Project 17, and - all too sadly - the UK Modern Slavery Helpline. We also connect migrant members of our network with opportunities to contribute their voice to relevant initiatives across policy, campaigning and research.

There are a number of excellent, well-funded organisations campaigning on many of the issues described above, be that calling for easier ways for sponsored workers to switch employers, for employers whose sponsorship license is revoked to be held to a higher level of accountability, or pushing back on the proposed extension to Indefinite Leave to Remain. Homecare Voices focuses on changing the way homecare workers are paid to ensure that every minute migrant care workers spend at work counts towards their minimum salary threshold.

From not being provided the promised level of work, to being on the road all hours, having no recourse to public funds, being unable to switch employers - only for the government to propose that people should keep going like this for 15 years instead of the promised five...

The UK's treatment of migrant homecare workers who work tirelessly to support disabled, ill and elderly people is a stain on our society.