Hundreds of migrant care workers gathered outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on 28 September 2026 to raise concerns about employer-linked visas, exploitation and their future in the United Kingdom. In footage shared by UNISON, demonstrators sang Nigerian musician Asa’s “Jailer”, using music to express the campaign’s demand for dignity and security.
UNISON said approximately 400 people took part. The demonstration was part of the Fair Visas Now campaign, which wants protections for care workers who need to change employers and the retention of a five-year pathway to permanent settlement.
The people behind Britain’s care system
Internationally recruited staff support older people, people with disabilities and others needing daily assistance. For migrant workers from Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India, the Philippines and many other countries, a care job can mean both service to vulnerable residents and responsibility for relatives at home. A disrupted job may jeopardise not only earnings but also housing, family arrangements and lawful residence.
Why sponsorship can leave people vulnerable
A Health and Care Worker visa is generally linked to an approved sponsoring employer. Workers can move to a different eligible employer, but usually need a new certificate of sponsorship and must apply to update immigration permission before beginning the new job. A worker facing poor conditions may therefore have a legal right to complain or leave, yet face practical obstacles finding another sponsor.
Employers cannot themselves deport someone. Immigration decisions are taken by the Home Office. However, when a sponsor loses its licence or employment ends, a worker’s permission may be curtailed, commonly leaving 60 days or the shorter remainder of their visa to find a lawful alternative. Anyone receiving an official notice should obtain regulated immigration advice immediately and check its actual deadline.
Exploitation is a documented problem
UK government investigations have identified abuse in parts of the international social-care recruitment system, including promised roles that did not materialise and non-compliant sponsors. The government said in 2025 that hundreds of care providers had faced sponsorship licence suspension since 2022. These findings do not mean all care employers exploit staff; many operate responsibly. They do show why accessible reporting and effective oversight matter.
Warning signs can include unpaid wages, threats linked to immigration status, withheld passports, coercive recruitment debts, restrictions on movement and unsafe working arrangements. Workers should retain contracts, payslips, rotas, messages and records of incidents, and seek independent advice before taking steps that might affect their immigration position.
What is happening to the five-year settlement route?
At the time of writing, existing guidance provides a five-year route to indefinite leave to remain for eligible Health and Care Worker visa holders meeting all requirements. Government earned-settlement proposals have raised the possibility of longer qualifying periods. UNISON has warned that some lower-paid workers could face much longer waits under proposals. A consultation proposal is not itself an immigration rule: any eventual effect depends on the final law, transitional provisions and individual circumstances.
The government argues that immigration reforms are intended to reduce reliance on overseas recruitment, address abuse and control migration. New overseas sponsorship applications for care workers and senior care workers closed in July 2025, while specified routes for some people already in the UK remain available under transitional rules. The question for policymakers and employers is how to uphold immigration requirements while preventing workers already recruited from falling into insecurity.
Know your rights as a migrant care worker
Pay: Most workers are entitled to at least the applicable statutory minimum wage; for workers aged 21 and over, the National Living Wage is £12.71 per hour from April 2026. Sponsorship salary requirements are a separate matter and may be higher.
Paid leave: Most workers have statutory annual leave entitlement, generally equivalent to 5.6 weeks annually, subject to working arrangements and relevant rules.
Fair treatment: Immigration status does not entitle an employer to discriminate unlawfully, harass staff or disregard employment protections. Workers can seek help about unpaid wages, safety, discrimination and other workplace concerns.
Changing jobs: Sponsored workers are not forbidden from leaving an employer, but should check sponsorship and visa update requirements before starting another role. Independent immigration advice is particularly important if the sponsor has lost its licence or an individual has been threatened.
IMAGE 4 PLACEHOLDER (licence pending): Women at a Fair Visa demonstration in Edinburgh, 10 June 2026. Getty Images; photographer to be confirmed.
Where to seek help
Acas: Free advice about employment rights and workplace disputes, at acas.org.uk, telephone 0300 123 1100.
UNISON: Union advice, representation and campaign information for eligible members at unison.org.uk.
Regulated immigration advice: Find an adviser through the UK government’s immigration adviser directory.
Serious workplace exploitation: See the official reporting guidance. In immediate danger, call 999.
Workers should not assume that reporting abuse automatically extends their immigration permission. Employment protections and visa requirements are distinct, and personal advice matters.
Beyond immigration statistics
A worker who provides daily care may also be supporting children, elderly relatives and others financially. Uncertainty about visa sponsorship or settlement can affect accommodation, career choices and family plans. Care recipients also depend on continuity and experienced staff. A debate often framed by national migration figures therefore has direct consequences for individual households and the delivery of social care.
Further protest photography and individual image credits are being reviewed before publication.
Podium News perspective
The Liverpool protest raises practical questions: How readily can a care worker escape exploitation without losing their livelihood or immigration status? What support is available after a sponsor licence is revoked? How will future settlement rules affect people already living and working in Britain? Government, employers, unions and workers should be able to address these questions on the basis of verified evidence and clear legal guidance.
Immigration controls and workplace protections are separate responsibilities that must both be administered lawfully. Care workers providing vital support should know their rights, understand their options and have accessible routes to independent help.
Podium News welcomes responsible first-hand accounts from care workers, trade unions, employers and legal specialists. Do not submit sensitive immigration documents or personally identifying information in public comments.
Editorial note: Information checked for 10 October 2026. Individual immigration circumstances differ; this article is general information, not legal advice. Real photographs from the Liverpool and Westminster Fair Visa demonstrations have been added to this unpublished draft. Reproduction permission and any outstanding photographer credit must be confirmed before publication.
Sources and practical references
UNISON report on the Liverpool demonstration | Home Office guidance on changing employer | Earned settlement consultation | National Minimum Wage rates
