Labour admits shedding monitor of 150,000 migrants

Labour has admitted “losing track” of greater than 150,000 migrants who’ve come to the UK on social care visas.

Authorities ministers have admitted they’ve “no idea” what number of international employees had been introduced in to fill roles the social care system who’re nonetheless working within the trade.

In February 2022, following issues the sector would collapse, care employees had been added to the UK’s expert employee scheme.

The choice meant employees may come to Britain on a well being and care visa if they may safe a job with an employer authorized by the Dwelling Workplace.

Within the three years that adopted, the UK has granted 154,402 visas to migrants offering “caring personal services” in Britain, permitting them to remain right here for as much as 5 years at a time.

Nonetheless, in 2023 the annual whole peaked at 107,772 earlier than falling to 9,539 in 2024, when the Conservative authorities barred folks on care visas from bringing members of the family with them to the UK.

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PA | The Dwelling Workplace

It comes as care minister Stephen Kinnock was responding to a query from Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson, who requested for an estimate of the quantity of people that have entered the UK on a social care work visa who’re nonetheless working within the sector.

The MP for Aberafan Maesteg responded saying: “The division doesn’t maintain information that straight hyperlinks visa standing to ongoing employment in grownup social care or residence in the UK over time.

“As such, it isn’t attainable to estimate the quantity or proportion of people who entered the UK on a social care work visa and who’re nonetheless within the UK or working within the social care sector.

“Individuals may cease working in the sector for a variety of reasons, for example to return to their country of origin or to switch to another immigration route.”

PA | Stephen Kinnock talking within the Home of Commons

“They’ve misplaced management of our borders. We have to carry the degrees of immigration down considerably and swiftly take away anybody who’s breaching the circumstances of their visa.

“The one means to do that is to have a binding annual cap on visas, set by Parliament at a lot decrease ranges than now we have seen in recent times.

“We tabled this proposal in Parliament just a few weeks ago, yet Labour voted against it.”

“We additionally inherited a knowledge system which was not designed to observe the long-term outcomes of well being and care visa holders, together with whether or not they stay in Britain or proceed working within the social care sector.

“The number of people who have been returned from this country is up by 11 per cent since the election, including those who have overstayed their visa, a comprehensive plan has been set out in the Immigration White Paper to bring greater order to our system by reducing reliance on overseas labour.”