An IMGW News Report
For many in India’s southern state of Kerala, Britain’s care worker visa promised a pathway to prosperity. The scheme, introduced during the pandemic, allowed overseas recruitment to fill staff shortages in the UK’s social care sector. Yet for hundreds of Keralite workers, it has turned into a financial and emotional disaster.
Sachit Anand (not his real name) spent years saving £15,000—an investment he hoped would secure his wife a care job in the UK and a better future for their child with special needs. Instead, the Bradford-based employer, Alchita Care, failed to provide work. After months of pleading, Sachit’s wife was given just three days’ employment. Unable to sustain themselves, the couple returned to India, financially ruined.
BBC news claims that it has seen evidence of payments made to Alchita Care, which had been granted a sponsorship licence to employ foreign workers. However, the company’s licence was revoked last year by the Home Office. At least three other care workers who paid thousands to Alchita report that their promised roles never materialised.
Some victims remain trapped in the UK. Sridevi, who also paid £15,000 for visa sponsorship, borrowed an additional £3,000 to relocate. She now struggles to afford rent and food. Instead of the stable employment she was promised, she endures unpredictable hours—sometimes on call from 4 am to 9 pm, yet paid only for time spent with patients.
The issue extends beyond the UK. In Kerala’s town of Kothamangalam, 30 individuals told the BBC they had collectively lost millions trying to secure UK care visas. One agent, Henry Poulos of Grace International, allegedly sold fake job offers and sponsorship letters, even sending hopeful migrants on futile 2,500km trips to Delhi for non-existent visa appointments. Poulos has since disappeared.
The British government acknowledges that care workers have been exploited through fraudulent recruitment and substandard wages. Reforms in 2024 raised salary thresholds and barred dependents from accompanying workers. Yet for the thousands already affected, justice remains distant. Many have resigned themselves to their losses, unable to afford legal battles against firms and agents operating across jurisdictions.
For those in debt, the dream of a better life has become a nightmare.
