Migrant workers in Britain have long faced some of the toughest conditions in the workforce, and recent research from the Resolution Foundation confirms it – one in six foreign-born workers are stuck in insecure jobs. But instead of tackling that problem head-on, Keir Starmer’s Labour government appears to be looking the other way.
This week, in what was billed as a major announcement on immigration policy, the government unveiled its white paper. But for migrant workers already here and struggling, the message was clear: you’re not part of the “working people” Labour claims to fight for.
The policy barely scratches the surface of what’s really wrong. While it nods to the issue of exploitation, its solution? Just giving workers a bit more “information” and vaguely promising to “explore” reforms. It’s hardly the bold change many had hoped for.
Instead, the government’s big idea is to cut net migration, starting by closing off the health and care visa to new applicants from overseas and tightening requirements on skilled worker routes. But critics say that’s missing the point entirely.
The reality is, exploitation happens because migrant workers are stuck on visas that tie them to one employer. If things go wrong – and they often do – leaving that job can mean losing their right to stay in the UK. That power imbalance has been a goldmine for dodgy employers, some of whom have left workers abandoned, overworked, or worse.
Take the recent case reported by The Big Issue: a care worker from Cameroon, who paid £8,000 to a UK care agency, ended up sleeping on the streets after being completely ghosted by his supposed employer.
With care worker visas already dropping by 94% since family members were banned from coming along, the damage is clear. Over 39,000 migrant care workers already in the UK are now at serious risk of destitution, stuck with rogue employers and no way out.
To make matters worse, Starmer now plans to double the time migrants have to wait before they can apply for settlement from five years to ten. That delay means more time in limbo, more fees, and more vulnerability. It’s another layer of unfairness in a system already stacked against them.
While Labour claims to care about integration, critics argue these changes only push people further into precarity. Instead of reforms that protect workers and give them the power to escape abuse, the government seems more focused on massaging migration numbers.
And with more than 130 migrant rights experts urging action in an open letter to Yvette Cooper, the pressure is on. The government may say the system’s failings weren’t their doing, but fixing it? That’s firmly in their hands now.
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