Urgent action has been demanded by a care watchdog after an investigation found unqualified migrant workers are looking after care home residents.
The National Care Association (NCA) has warned of “widespread abuse” of Britain’s immigration system, leading to untrained and overworked staff – with some unable to speak much English – caring for the elderly.
A probe into the so-called “cash for care jobs scandal” by a newspaper found operators exploit Home Office loopholes with some charging applicants “work finder fees” of up to £20,000.
The cash is said to guarantee a “100 per cent” success rate in obtaining a visa to live and work in the UK, according to the Daily Mail.
The NCA has now urged the Home Office to strengthen English language requirements and follow-up on visits to homes using foreign care workers.
The immigration law change saw the total number of foreign workers given permission to come to Britain hit a record high last year.
Alongside the surge of overseas workers into the care sector, there was also an “explosion” of operators making money from using migrant care staff as “cash cows”, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority said.
One “adviser” told an undercover reporter that for £9,000 he could help her arrange a job in just three days.
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Whistleblowers say they have witnessed migrants handing over holdalls of cash to staff at a social care company with 20 sites in northern England during meetings in car parks or areas in CCTV blackspots.
However, patients’ health is put at risk when many arrive with no qualifications for the required work and often very poor English.
Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, said she was aware of the extensive abuse of the system after the visa rules were altered.
She said: “We’re seeing agencies sprouting up that are just bringing people in for the purpose of taking money off them.
“They’re not checking their skills or making sure they have the relevant training. In some cases workers are sleeping 14 to a room and having to pay back money they hadn’t expected.
The NCA has now urged the Home Office to strengthen English language requirements and follow-up on visits to homes using foreign care workers
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“We have to stop a practice where vulnerable people are looking after vulnerable people. It’s exploitation with terrible consequences for the social care industry and the people that we, as a society, are supposed to be caring for.”
Martin Plimmer, lead investigator at the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority explained that migrants are being illegally charged £10,000 to £20,000 “work finder” fees.
Despite being mistreated, with some forced to work 80-hour weeks, many cannot afford to report mistreatment to UK authorities for fear of losing their job.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We strongly condemn offering Health and Care worker visa holders employment under false pretences and do not tolerate illegal activity in the labour market.
“We’ve already taken action to revoke the licence of sponsors engaged in such activity.
“We are committed to stamping out exploitation of those working in the care sector and have announced providers in England will only be able to sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
