Care Workers: Migrant Workers
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of employers not providing the work guaranteed under a visa sponsorship agreement on migrant care workers; what steps her Department is taking to ensure that such workers are not disadvantaged as a result of sponsor non-compliance; and how any changes to settlement requirements, including the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, will take account of individuals who have been unable to work or accrue National Insurance contributions due to circumstances beyond their control.
Answered by Mike Tapp
This Government is acutely aware of the levels of sponsor non-compliance in the care sector and this includes failing to provide adequate paid work. In response, we have revoked the licenses of more than 1000 care providers who are now no longer able to sponsor migrant workers.
The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers. DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services, working together to support displaced workers into new roles within the care sector. These regional hubs have received £12.5 million this financial year to support them to prevent and respond to unethical practices in the sector.
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It also set out mandatory requirements for settlement, including a minimum level of National Insurance contributions. A public consultation was launched on 20 November 2025 and is open until 12 February 2026. The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
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