Britain's visa system for care workers constitutes modern slavery and should be reformed
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/andrea-egan. "Britain’s care system promotes modern slavery. A genuinely humane government would reform it | Andrea Egan | The Guardian." February 12, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that Britain's immigration system traps migrant care workers in abusive situations by tying their visas to specific employers. She says new government proposals to make workers wait even longer for permanent status will make this modern slavery worse, not better.
Conclusion
The UK's visa sponsorship system for migrant care workers creates conditions of modern slavery and should be abolished, not extended through new earned settlement proposals
Premises
- The current visa system ties care workers to their employers, making them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation including unpaid work, excessive hours, and threats of deportation
- Migrant workers make up over 20% of NHS staff and care workers nationally (50% in London), making them essential to Britain's care system
- The proposed earned settlement changes would force low-paid care workers to wait 15 years instead of 5 years for indefinite leave to remain, extending their vulnerability
- Care work is highly skilled but underpaid due to government failure to value it properly, not because it lacks skill
- The care system is already in crisis with 2 million older people having unmet needs, high vacancy rates, and staff leaving due to low pay
- The sponsorship system creates a structural environment where exploitation is endemic, not just isolated to 'bad apple' employers
Assumptions
- Tying workers' legal status to specific employers inherently creates exploitative power dynamics
- The government has the power and responsibility to reform immigration policy to protect workers
- Care work should be valued and compensated similarly to other skilled professions
- A functioning care system requires treating workers with dignity and security