Britain announces brand-new restriction on abroad care employees

Care employee visa system dogged by abuse, exploitation
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New rules dash hopes in Zimbabwe, Nigeria

By Farai Shawn Matiashe and Nelson Chigozirim

MUTARE, Zimbabwe/LAGOS, June 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - W hen Loveness got a job deal from an English care service provider in March, the 32-year-old Zimbabwean thought her dreams of constructing a brand-new life abroad were finally coming true.

But just weeks later, the company informed her they could not proceed due to the fact that of new rules needing care suppliers to prioritise employing employees already in Britain.

Now the British federal government has said it plans to stop the recruitment of overseas care workers entirely as part of sweeping migration reforms. Industry bodies fret the sector will have a hard time to provide quality care without foreign workers.

For Loveness, who did not want to give her last name due to the level of sensitivity of the topic, the changes indicate an abrupt end to her hopes of escaping chronic unemployment in Zimbabwe.

"I had actually invested all my cash into this. And I was this close. Almost," she stated.

The British federal government presented the new guidelines after reports, consisting of by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, revealed extensive exploitation of foreign workers under the Health and Care Worker visa plan, initially introduced in 2022.

Many care were charged unlawful recruitment charges by their sponsors, some shown up in Britain to discover no work, while others said they were dealt with like slaves.

The federal government has actually now removed hundreds of rogue companies of their licences to sponsor foreign employees, but this has actually left those who had already been worked with in need of brand-new tasks.

The British visa scheme likewise spawned scams in nations like Zimbabwe, where fraudsters promised health care qualifications that never materialised and fake sponsorships.

Loveness, who lives with her hubby and child in Budiriro, a residential area of Harare, had actually currently paid $3,000 to a recruitment agent to assist her discover an appropriate care company - an extensive practice.

She likewise invested $555 on a tuberculosis test, authorities check and an English language test, and another $300 to get a nurse aide certificate from the Zimbabwe Red Cross in 2023.

She just needed a certificate of sponsorship, an electronic record released by a licensed employer, to secure a visa.

She has actually not informed some of the individuals who provided her cash to pay for these products that her quest has actually failed.

"I just can not stand the shame."

'CRUEL' POLICY CHANGE

In 2022, Britain opened a brand-new visa route for overseas employees to help fill more than 160,000 vacancies in the care sector following the COVID-19 pandemic and the country's departure from the European Union.

Nearly 20,000 Zimbabweans were granted these UK visas between 2021 and 2024, according to official figures.

Some Zimbabweans left tasks at banks and health clinics to search for work taking care of Britain's ageing population. Loveness herself trained as an accountant.

Bongani Mazwi Mkwananzi, executive secretary for media and promotion for the Africa Diaspora Forum, which represents Africans abroad, stated the UK care visa provided an uncommon, structured pathway to work and financial stability.

"With domestic unemployment levels exceptionally high and wages well listed below the cost of living, the UK opportunity represented a beacon of hope," he said.

Some had actually currently seen their plans dashed last year when Britain banned freshly arriving care employees from bringing family with them.

Yotamu Mlauzi Chagwada, president of the Nurse Aides Association of Zimbabwe Trust, said the withdrawal of sponsorship offers had actually left some Zimbabweans feeling betrayed.

"Labelling this policy terrible may not be an overstatement, considering the monetary and psychological investments these caretakers made," he said.

'DOOR SLAMMED SHUT'

Jane, who likewise did not wish to provide her surname, spent $800 on a TB test, authorities clearance, nurse assistant certificate and English test.

When the brand-new constraints were imposed, she was still raising money to pay a recruitment firm.

"It hurt. I practically wept. I lost all my cash," stated Jane, from the city of Masvingo in southeastern Zimbabwe.

"I am now regretting it. It would have been better if I had actually begun a business."

In Nigeria, the ban on abroad care employees is likewise causing dismay. An approximated 13,418 Nigerian care workers were granted visas to the UK in 2023 and 2024, representing 19% of the overall visas issued for the sector.

Rita, a 31-year-old teacher living in Lagos state, spent months conserving for a healthcare course and paying a representative who assured to protect her a task and sponsorship.

"I feel like my world is crumbling," she stated in a phone interview. "I've compromised so much ... Now it feels like the door to the UK has been knocked shut."

Emmanuel, a 25-year-old nursing graduate, invested six months scouring the internet to find a task in Britain and finally got an interview. Today the care company has actually fallen quiet.

"This is not the very first time we are hearing that the UK government wishes to stop the care worker visa, but it looks like they indicate service this time," Emmanuel said.

"We've been glued to our screens, chasing every lead," he stated. "To lastly get an offer and after that hear this news - it's squashing."

For Loveness, there was one tiny piece of luck. Her hubby had actually offered to offer his vehicle to pay the visa fees if she got a certificate of sponsorship. But he had not yet discovered a buyer.
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Loveness now operates in a shop in Harare, however her income doesn't even cover her lease.

"I still have actually not provided up. If I get a chance to transfer to other nations like Australia, I will grab it," she stated. (Additional reporting by Nelson Chigozirim in Lagos