Akhil Jenny, an Indian care worker from a small southern town in India, found himself entangled in a deceptive web spun by unscrupulous immigration agents. Lured by the promise of a well-paid job in the UK to escape his mounting debts, Jenny sold family assets and paid £16,000 to an agent named Shinto Sebastian. Upon arrival in Sheffield, however, Jenny discovered that the British company, Flamelily (trading as Civility Care), had no job for him. Instead, he ended up working as a part-time cleaner and driver, sharing a bed with another migrant worker and sleeping on the kitchen floor for privacy.
Jenny’s experience is not unique. Dozens of migrant care workers from India have reported similar exploitation. They were charged between £8,000 and £20,000 by immigration agents for visas, flights, and accommodation, only to arrive in the UK and find little or no work. Many were asked to jump through additional hoops, such as buying cars or securing housing, before being allowed to work. Some were misled into working as cleaners or drivers rather than care workers.
Experts, including Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, highlight the severe flaws in the UK care worker visa system. Migrant workers are often left without financial safety nets, unable to leave their employers for fear of deportation, and unable to return home due to debt. The visa system, designed to fill gaps in the care sector, inadvertently traps workers in precarious situations, violating their rights and leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
The British government’s response has been inadequate. Despite tightening the number of care worker visas issued, it has failed to address the rampant abuse within the system. Regulatory bodies like the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have yet to take effective action, and the Home Office remains silent on individual cases.
Jenny’s case was compounded by intermediary Yusuf Badarudeen, who charged for logistical support but denied providing employment or sponsorship. Jenny’s sponsor, Flamelily, claimed to operate ethically and promised an internal investigation, yet migrant workers like Jenny and Geo Ambooken received little more than broken promises and substandard employment.
Ambooken, another Indian care worker, paid over £2,000 to Badarudeen and faced similar deception. Promised a care job, he ended up working as a driver under exploitative conditions. The systemic failure to protect these workers is stark, with both Flamelily and the Home Office failing to ensure compliance with visa regulations.
In a separate case, Nishamol Sebastian, another care worker from India, paid over £15,000 in fees and was promised work by Homecare1st. Upon arrival, she was told to buy a car and insurance before starting work. Despite working 90 hours a week for meager pay, she and others were placed on unpaid leave when the company’s sponsorship license was suspended. Complaints to various authorities, including the CQC and the Home Office, have resulted in no substantial action.
Experts argue that the UK’s regulatory bodies, including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), are underfunded and ill-equipped to handle modern slavery allegations. Eleanor Lyons, the government’s anti-slavery commissioner, noted the shift in Home Office priorities away from tackling modern slavery, leaving exploited workers without support.
The lack of effective oversight and enforcement allows such exploitation to persist. Migrant care workers, trapped in debt and precarious living conditions, continue to seek help from UK regulators and law enforcement, yet their pleas often fall on deaf ears.
The UK must urgently reform its visa system and strengthen regulatory frameworks to protect migrant workers from exploitation and ensure that the promises made to them are fulfilled. Until then, the plight of workers like Akhil Jenny, Geo Ambooken, and Nishamol Sebastian serves as a grim testament to the system’s failures.