Migrant care workers still bringing dozens of family members to UK despite clampdown

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Tories would extend a visa ban on dependants to care workers already in the country

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Tories would extend a visa ban on dependants to care workers already in the country

New Home Office figures have revealed migrant workers are ignoring restrictions by bringing in family members at a ratio as high as 15 for every worker.

The new statistics have revealed a total of 180 visas were issued to family members of migrants from Cameroon, despite just 12 health and care visas being issued to workers from the central African country.

Meanwhile, there were 257 health and care worker visas issued to workers from Ghana in the same period, and 2,131 visas issued to family members.

According to the figures, 2,395 workers from India were joined by 10,504 family members, with 139 Bangladeshis granted visas and 747 family members joining main applicants.

A total of 1,029 skilled worker visas were issued to workers from Pakistan, who in turn brought in 6,155 dependants, while Nigerians had nearly five times as many dependants as main applicants, 1,114 family members joining 230 workers on skilled worker visas.

Care workers were officially barred from bringing in family members by the former Conservative government in March 2024.Last year, the Home Office extended the ban to all migrant workers unless they had a job at degree level or above.

However, those who were already here before the restrictions were introduced can still bring dependants to the UK.

The Tories reacted to the new figures by announcing a new policy that would extend the ban on dependants to care workers already in the country.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told The Times: "These shocking figures show far too many family members, including the family of people working in kebab shops and vape stores, are being let into the UK.

"The number of dependants is unacceptably high, the burden of supporting them all too often falls on the British taxpayer. Worker visas should not be a route to let in thousands more family members.

"It is an abuse of the system. Far too many people entered the UK on social care visas and the previous Conservative government [was] right to put a stop to it.

"But today’s revelations show those already here on social care visas are still bringing in large numbers [of] dependants. This must be urgently stopped."

Mr Philp continued: "Social care workers already here should not be able to receive new visas for new dependants.

"We have seen hundreds of thousands of dependants of care workers come here, more than the number of actual care workers, and this must now urgently stop."

On average, the ratio was 1.3 dependants for every worker, as Europeans issued with skilled worker visas brought in significantly fewer than one family member each.

French workers were one of the main European recipients of such visas and in the last year 1,804 workers brought in 701 family members, a ratio of 0.4 for each worker.

Research for the Home Office from the migration advisory committee revealed around 85 per cent of migrants who arrived in 2019 stayed for at least five years, a jump up from the 74 per cent of those who arrived in 2014.

Migrants from countries across Africa, southern Asia and non-EU European countries had the highest rates of long-term stay.

The higher “stay rates” have increased the likelihood of migrant workers obtaining indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

The policy grants the right for foreign workers to live, work, study and claim benefits in Britain permanently.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's planned changes to rules governing indefinite leave to remain (ILR) have drawn criticism from some Labour MPs, with Sir Keir’s likely successor Andy Burnham facing calls to scrap them.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We have taken significant action to reduce the number of dependants joining workers in the UK, steps which have contributed to overall net migration falling by 82 per cent in just three years.

"This has included restricting dependants for all occupations below degree-level, increasing language requirements and ending overseas recruitment for care workers.

"Visa numbers for foreign workers are down 50 per cent from their peak in 2023 as these reforms take effect, and we will double the route to settlement from five to ten years, ensuring it is earned through contribution and integration."