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UK visa rule changes spark alarm among Zimbabwean care workers
11 hrs ago |
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More than 21 000 Zimbabweans have been granted Health and Care Worker visas to work in the United Kingdom in recent years, but proposed changes to Britain's immigration rules have triggered growing anxiety among migrants, opposition politicians and labour rights groups.
According to recent UK Home Office data, Zimbabwe has emerged as one of the major source countries for health and care workers, reflecting Britain's increasing reliance on overseas labour to sustain its overstretched social care and health sectors. However, planned reforms to the settlement system threaten to dramatically extend the time migrants must spend in temporary status before qualifying for permanent residence.
Under the proposals, the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) would increase from five years to 10 years for most migrants. For care workers on Health and Care Worker visas, the waiting period would be extended to 15 years.
ILR grants migrants the right to live and work in the UK without time restrictions, offering job mobility, long-term family security and access to broader social and employment rights. For decades, most migrants, including care workers, were eligible to apply after five years of lawful residence.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn has emerged as a leading critic of the proposals, describing them as a "much wider assault on the rights and dignity of people". In a strongly worded letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Corbyn warned that the policy would have devastating consequences for care workers and worsen staffing shortages in a sector already under severe strain.
"These changes are devastating for thousands of health and social care workers, who will now find it much harder to settle in Britain," Corbyn wrote. "In turn, this will have a catastrophic impact on the care sector by deepening the already severe workforce crisis."
Corbyn said he had recently met constituents who were distressed by the uncertainty created by the proposed changes, including a care worker who arrived in the UK in September 2023 and described being forced to take on additional part-time work due to low pay and insecure conditions.
"She described the exploitation and precarity she has endured as a care worker," Corbyn said. "And yet we continue to care."
In a letter shared with the MP, the worker wrote that while carers provided comfort and dignity to vulnerable people, their own families lived with fear and uncertainty about the future.
"We put smiles on the faces of the nation's loved ones while our own children live with fear and uncertainty. All we ask is that our families, too, be allowed to smile," she wrote.
Corbyn said such accounts reflected widespread anxiety among migrant workers who have built lives in the UK and contributed significantly to essential services.
"People who have come to this country and contributed so much are fearful for their future. The government's plans treat care workers with contempt and show the opposite of gratitude," he said.
The proposed ILR changes are still at the consultation stage and must undergo further legislative scrutiny before becoming law. Existing settlement routes remain in place, meaning migrants who already meet the current five-year requirement can still apply under the existing rules.
In his letter, Corbyn called on the government to protect the five-year ILR qualifying period, end employer-tied visas that enable exploitation, and introduce a Fair Pay Agreement to guarantee decent wages and working conditions for care workers.
Migrant rights organisations and sector leaders have echoed these concerns, warning that extending settlement timelines from five to 15 years for care workers will deter overseas recruitment and worsen staff shortages. The care sector has become heavily dependent on international labour, after years of difficulty attracting and retaining domestic workers.
Opposition figures have also cautioned that the reforms risk creating a two-tier immigration system, leaving essential workers trapped in prolonged temporary status with limited job mobility and reduced family security. Employer-tied visas, they argue, increase vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
The government has defended the proposals as part of a broader effort to tackle abuses within the care visa route, citing cases of sponsor misconduct and workers arriving in the UK without guaranteed employment. Officials say visa approvals for health and care workers have already declined since late 2023 following tighter Home Office oversight and enforcement against non-compliant employers.
Home Office figures show that Health and Care Worker visa grants rose sharply between 2021 and 2023, peaking at about 145 800 main applicants in the year ending December 2023, up from roughly 31 800 in 2021.
Within that surge, Zimbabweans recorded one of the most dramatic increases. Official statistics show that 21 130 Health and Care Worker visas were granted to Zimbabwean nationals in the year ending September 2023, up from 7 846 the previous year — an increase of more than 169 percent.
Other independent estimates suggest that when dependants are included, around 15 700 Zimbabweans migrated to the UK through the care sector in 2023 alone, underlining the scale of Zimbabwe's contribution to Britain's health and social care workforce — and the potential impact of the proposed policy changes on thousands of families.
According to recent UK Home Office data, Zimbabwe has emerged as one of the major source countries for health and care workers, reflecting Britain's increasing reliance on overseas labour to sustain its overstretched social care and health sectors. However, planned reforms to the settlement system threaten to dramatically extend the time migrants must spend in temporary status before qualifying for permanent residence.
Under the proposals, the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) would increase from five years to 10 years for most migrants. For care workers on Health and Care Worker visas, the waiting period would be extended to 15 years.
ILR grants migrants the right to live and work in the UK without time restrictions, offering job mobility, long-term family security and access to broader social and employment rights. For decades, most migrants, including care workers, were eligible to apply after five years of lawful residence.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn has emerged as a leading critic of the proposals, describing them as a "much wider assault on the rights and dignity of people". In a strongly worded letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Corbyn warned that the policy would have devastating consequences for care workers and worsen staffing shortages in a sector already under severe strain.
"These changes are devastating for thousands of health and social care workers, who will now find it much harder to settle in Britain," Corbyn wrote. "In turn, this will have a catastrophic impact on the care sector by deepening the already severe workforce crisis."
Corbyn said he had recently met constituents who were distressed by the uncertainty created by the proposed changes, including a care worker who arrived in the UK in September 2023 and described being forced to take on additional part-time work due to low pay and insecure conditions.
"She described the exploitation and precarity she has endured as a care worker," Corbyn said. "And yet we continue to care."
In a letter shared with the MP, the worker wrote that while carers provided comfort and dignity to vulnerable people, their own families lived with fear and uncertainty about the future.
"We put smiles on the faces of the nation's loved ones while our own children live with fear and uncertainty. All we ask is that our families, too, be allowed to smile," she wrote.
"People who have come to this country and contributed so much are fearful for their future. The government's plans treat care workers with contempt and show the opposite of gratitude," he said.
The proposed ILR changes are still at the consultation stage and must undergo further legislative scrutiny before becoming law. Existing settlement routes remain in place, meaning migrants who already meet the current five-year requirement can still apply under the existing rules.
In his letter, Corbyn called on the government to protect the five-year ILR qualifying period, end employer-tied visas that enable exploitation, and introduce a Fair Pay Agreement to guarantee decent wages and working conditions for care workers.
Migrant rights organisations and sector leaders have echoed these concerns, warning that extending settlement timelines from five to 15 years for care workers will deter overseas recruitment and worsen staff shortages. The care sector has become heavily dependent on international labour, after years of difficulty attracting and retaining domestic workers.
Opposition figures have also cautioned that the reforms risk creating a two-tier immigration system, leaving essential workers trapped in prolonged temporary status with limited job mobility and reduced family security. Employer-tied visas, they argue, increase vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
The government has defended the proposals as part of a broader effort to tackle abuses within the care visa route, citing cases of sponsor misconduct and workers arriving in the UK without guaranteed employment. Officials say visa approvals for health and care workers have already declined since late 2023 following tighter Home Office oversight and enforcement against non-compliant employers.
Home Office figures show that Health and Care Worker visa grants rose sharply between 2021 and 2023, peaking at about 145 800 main applicants in the year ending December 2023, up from roughly 31 800 in 2021.
Within that surge, Zimbabweans recorded one of the most dramatic increases. Official statistics show that 21 130 Health and Care Worker visas were granted to Zimbabwean nationals in the year ending September 2023, up from 7 846 the previous year — an increase of more than 169 percent.
Other independent estimates suggest that when dependants are included, around 15 700 Zimbabweans migrated to the UK through the care sector in 2023 alone, underlining the scale of Zimbabwe's contribution to Britain's health and social care workforce — and the potential impact of the proposed policy changes on thousands of families.
Source - Health Times
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