A global network has fleeced students out of tens of thousands of pounds for worthless visa documents they hoped would enable them to work in the UK. A thorough investigation has found middlemen working as recruitment agents preyed on international students who wanted jobs in the care industry. The students paid up to £17,000 each for sponsorship certificates that should have been free.
When they applied for skilled worker visas, their paperwork was rejected by the Home Office for being invalid.We have seen documentation that shows one man, Taimoor Raza, sold 141 visa documents – most of which were worthless – for a total of £1.2m. He denies doing anything wrong and has paid back some of the money to students.Mr Raza rented offices and hired staff in the West Midlands and promised dozens of students work in care homes and employment sponsorship.We have been told he began selling legitimate documents and that a handful of students obtained visas and genuine jobs. But many more lost their entire savings on worthless paperwork.
The BBC has spoken to 17 men and women who have lost thousands trying to obtain work visas.Three of the students, all women in their 20s, paid out a total of £38,000 to different agents.They said they had been sold a dream in their native India that they would make their fortunes in England.Instead, they had ended up penniless and too afraid to tell their families back home.”I am trapped here [in England],”a victim claimed during an interview.”If I do return, all of my family’s savings would’ve been wasted.”
The UK’s care sector, including care homes and agencies, had a record number of vacancies in 2022 with 165,000 posts unfilled. The government widened the net for recruitment by allowing international applications, leading to a boom in interest from the likes of India, Nigeria and The Philippines.Applicants must have an eligible sponsor, such as a registered care home or agency, and jobseekers should not have to pay a penny for their sponsorship.The sudden opening of this route has been exploited by middlemen taking advantage of students looking to work full time.Although the students we spoke to had made great attempts to remain in the UK legally, they now face being sent back to their country of origin.
