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Britain announces new restriction on overseas care employees

Care worker visa system dogged by abuse, exploitation

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New guidelines rush 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 offer from an English care service provider in March, the 32-year-old Zimbabwean thought her imagine developing a brand-new life abroad were finally coming to life.

But simply weeks later, the company told her they might not continue since of brand-new rules requiring care service providers to prioritise utilizing employees already in Britain.

Now the British federal government has stated it plans to stop the recruitment of abroad care employees completely as part of sweeping immigration reforms. Industry bodies worry the sector will have a hard time to supply quality care without foreign employees.

For Loveness, who did not wish to offer her surname due to the level of sensitivity of the topic, the modifications indicate an abrupt end to her hopes of escaping persistent unemployment in Zimbabwe.

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

The British government introduced the new rules after reports, consisting of by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, revealed prevalent exploitation of foreign employees under the Health and Care Worker visa scheme, initially introduced in 2022.

Many care employees were charged prohibited recruitment charges by their sponsors, some gotten here in Britain to discover no work, while others said they were treated like servants.

The government has now stripped hundreds of rogue business of their licences to sponsor foreign employees, but this has left those who had actually already been employed in requirement of brand-new jobs.

The British visa scheme likewise generated scams in countries like Zimbabwe, where fraudsters guaranteed healthcare qualifications that never materialised and phony sponsorships.

Loveness, who lives with her spouse and kid in Budiriro, a suburb of Harare, had currently paid $3,000 to a recruitment agent to assist her find a suitable care service provider - a prevalent practice.

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

She simply needed a certificate of sponsorship, an electronic record released by a certified company, to secure a visa.

She has actually not told a few of individuals who lent her money to spend for these products that her mission has failed.

"I simply can not stand the shame."

'CRUEL' POLICY CHANGE

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

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

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

Bongani Mazwi Mkwananzi, executive secretary for media and publicity for the Africa Diaspora Forum, which represents Africans abroad, stated the UK care visa provided a rare, structured path to work and monetary stability.

"With domestic joblessness levels very high and incomes well listed below the expense of living, the UK chance represented a beacon of hope," he said.

Some had actually already seen their strategies rushed last year when Britain banned recently getting here care workers from bringing household with them.

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

"Labelling this policy cruel might not be an overstatement, thinking about the financial and emotional financial investments these caregivers made," he said.

'DOOR SLAMMED SHUT'

Jane, who also did not want to give her last name, invested $800 on a TB test, police clearance, nurse assistant certificate and English test.

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

"It hurt. I almost sobbed. I lost all my money," stated Jane, from the city of Masvingo in southeastern Zimbabwe.

"I am now regretting it. It would have been better if I had started a service."

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

Rita, a 31-year-old teacher living in Lagos state, spent months conserving for a healthcare course and paying an agent who promised to secure her a task and sponsorship.

"I seem like my world is collapsing," she stated in a phone interview. "I have actually compromised so much ... Now it feels like the door to the UK has actually been knocked shut."

Emmanuel, a 25-year-old nursing graduate, spent six months the internet to find a job in Britain and lastly got an interview. And now the care provider has actually fallen silent.

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

"We have actually been glued to our screens, chasing after every lead," he stated. "To finally get a deal and then hear this news - it's crushing."

For Loveness, there was one tiny piece of luck. Her hubby had actually provided to sell his cars and truck to pay the visa charges if she got a certificate of sponsorship. But he had actually not yet discovered a purchaser.

Loveness now works in a shop in Harare, however her income does not even cover her lease.

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