They imagined they were coming to this country to work for a better life – but hundreds of people are arriving in Suffolk to find that they have been scammed out of thousands of pounds and are now relying on foodbanks.
Overseas fraudsters posing as ‘agents’ are targeting skilled workers, claiming to be able to find full-time jobs for them in the UK, when in reality, no such job exists, explained Funmilayo Akinriboya.
She estimates at least 200 people in Ipswich have been scammed in this way, all of whom have paid at least £12,000 for the help of an ‘agent’.
Others have paid £15,000 – and some as much as £20,000.
Ms Akinriboya is the founder of the BME Suffolk Support Group. The group runs sessions around the county for black and ethnic minority families. These include youth programs, a community café, drop-in support sessions and a foodbank.
This foodbank has become source of support to many people who have been swindled in this way.
“Hundreds of people out there are struggling,” said Ms Akinriboya. Many have managed to find work, but only for a few hours a month – not the full-time positions they were promised, and not enough to survive on.
A skilled worker visa allows people from overseas to come to the UK to work for a government-approved employer.
Some roles are classed as ‘shortage occupations’. This includes many jobs in healthcare.
Companies and providers in the UK can apply to become sponsors, which will allow them to recruit workers from overseas.
Once the worker has obtained a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from an employer with information about the role they will be working in the UK, they are eligible for a skilled worker visa.
A Home Office spokesperson explained that this system was designed so that employers who benefit directly from migration could play their part in ensuring the immigration system is not abused.
However, this is not always the case, explained Prema Fairburn Dorai.
Ms Fairburn-Dorai is the director of the domiciliary service Primary Healthcare. She is also the director and chairperson of the Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers.
“There was always a risk when the Home Office put carers on the shortage list that there would be sharks out there, waiting to pounce,” Ms Fairburn-Dorai said.
She has heard of a number of ways would-be carers wanting to work in the UK are being taken advantage of, including registering supposed care providers with the government.
“They get their sponsor license, but I don’t think they have any intention of actually providing a care service,” she explained.
“They bring workers over in their hundreds – and then the company folds and they disappear.”
Some agents do work for genuine care providers, but charge would-be carers extortionate fees for finding them work.
“If, for example, I did not recruit directly myself but was going through an agent, I would pay them money for finding me a carer,” Ms Fairburn-Dorai continued. “But I wouldn’t be aware of what they were charging the recruit. It could be anything from £10,000 to £20,000.”
All Ms Fairburn-Dorai's are employed directly through her, and not via agents. She also provides overseas workers with accommodation for a period of three to four months while they settle themselves in the UK.
However, she added that workers who bring their families over as soon as they arrive leave themselves in a vulnerable position.
With multiple dependents, the need to earn enough money to survive is far more urgent and can create problems when workers find they are not able to earn enough money to support their families.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Abuse of our immigration system will not be tolerated, and we have robust measures in place to ensure compliance.
“We will always take decisive action if employers break the rules, including by revoking sponsor licences when necessary.”
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