When Lydia Kabute arrived in the UK in 2023, she entered a field facing imminent collapse due to a severe shortage of care workers. To address this issue, the government sought to fill the gaps through overseas recruitment. Over the next three years, Lydia found herself working exhausting 100-plus hour weeks, experiencing wage deductions by unethical visa sponsors, and witnessing the harsh realities migrant workers endure.
Stuck in her job due to visa restrictions, Lydia often slept in her car between shifts, resulting in a debilitating back condition. Despite having to travel long distances, employers refused to compensate her for mileage. Both Lydia and her colleagues lived under the constant fear of losing their sponsorship – and consequently, their right to stay in the UK – as a form of retaliation for speaking out.
Despite the challenges she has faced since leaving Kenya, Lydia takes pride in delivering high-quality care to her clients. However, the recent government announcement to extend the waiting period for settlement in the UK from five to 15 years has left her and many others in a state of distress.
This prolonged uncertainty means that Lydia and numerous others will now have to wait an additional decade before gaining the freedom to switch jobs and plan their futures in the UK. The proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and the retroactive application of these rules by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have sparked widespread outrage.
Expressing her frustration to The Mirror, Lydia questioned the rationale behind extending the settlement period and emphasized the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care sector. Unison, a trade union, condemned the rule change as morally unjust and warned that it could exacerbate the social care crisis, as migrant workers constitute nearly 30% of the sector’s workforce.
In response to the proposed changes, Lydia urged the government to reconsider its treatment of migrant workers by sponsors. She recounted instances of staff facing sexual harassment, bullying, and wage theft during her time in the UK. One distressing incident involved a pregnant woman being coerced into either having an abortion or returning to Kenya.
The plight of individuals like Lydia has drawn attention to the flaws in the current sponsorship system, which traps care workers in exploitative situations. The decision to increase the waiting time for settlement to 15 years has been criticized as unjust by care worker Michael, who described it as an upheaval of their lives and a violation of the trust they placed in the existing regulations.
The proposed changes have also garnered opposition from over 100 Labour MPs, who view them as detrimental to migrant workers and their families. Former deputy PM Angela Rayner labeled the proposal as “un-British.” In defense of the amendments, Ms. Mahmood argued that migrants should earn the right to settle in the UK based on their contributions, with a fast-track option for high earners and NHS workers.
The government’s stance is that the retrospective alteration of ILR rules is necessary to prevent an automatic settlement for 1.6 million individuals by 2030. While emphasizing the need for earned settlement rights, a Home Office spokesperson highlighted the significant migration levels experienced in recent years and the ongoing review of public feedback on the proposed changes.
Overall, the debate surrounding the extension of settlement waiting times underscores the complexities and challenges faced by migrant workers in the UK’s care sector, prompting a reevaluation of immigration policies and sponsor obligations.