The UK government has announced stricter sanctions against employers who exploit foreign workers, following evidence of widespread abuses, particularly in the social care sector.

Under the new rules, businesses that repeatedly violate visa regulations or commit serious employment offenses, such as failing to pay the minimum wage, will be banned from hiring foreign workers for two years—double the current penalty of 12 months.

Seema Malhotra, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, condemned these exploitative practices, emphasizing the impact on migrant workers in the care industry.

"Shamefully, these practices have been seen particularly in our care sector, where workers coming to the UK to support our health and social care service have all too often found themselves plunged into unjustifiable insecurity and debt. This can, and must, end",- Malhotra stated.

In 2021, the UK introduced a new visa route to address critical staff shortages in the social care sector. However, low wages and poor working conditions have left many migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation. Nearly a third of care workers in England are migrants, hailing from countries such as India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines.

Recent research revealed that nearly 200 social care providers in the UK authorized to employ foreign workers had records of labor violations. Since July 2022, approximately 450 licenses allowing employers in the care sector to recruit foreign workers have been revoked.

As part of the tightened measures, companies committing minor visa infractions will be subject to 12-month action plans requiring specific corrective steps, up from the previous three months.

These changes will be incorporated into the Labour government's forthcoming Employment Rights Bill. Photo by Phil Whitehouse, Wikimedia commons.