Skilled worker visas: Exploitation of migrant workers scrutinised by PAC
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will scrutinise the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK, at 10am on Thursday 8 May.
Meeting details
The National Audit Office (NAO) reported on the skilled worker visa route in 2025. Its report found that changes to the route, such as the tightening of requirements in spring 2024, have not always been based on a full assessment of potential impacts on different industries and parts of the country. The report found that the Home Office processes most 'straightforward' visa applications promptly and has reduced the time it takes to process sponsor licence applications, but does not include 'complex' cases in its published data on service standards.
There are also significant issues around the Home Office’s understanding of what happens to people when their visa expires and tackling labour market exploitation, with widespread evidence of exploitation in the care sector, including those using Skilled Worker visas, and increasing risks in the construction sector. The NAO found that the scale of exploitation of skilled worker visa holders is not fully known, including criminal activity such as trafficking, forced labour or debt bondage, and labour market abuse.
The PAC will hear from senior Home Office officials, including the new Permanent Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, on subjects including:
- How government will to achieve its stated aims of using the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth;
- How the Home Office will tackle non-compliance and abuse within the system; and
- How customer service levels will be improved.