Vulnerable members of the community could lose the carers they rely on after Home Office immigration changes leave dozens of overseas care workers facing a forced return to their home country, a local care provider has warned.
Kells Domiciliary Care, an Enfield-based company that provides care to dozens of Jewish clients, says 29 of its staff could be forced to leave the UK as their visas expire, despite the company’s willingness to continue sponsoring them.
Six employees of KDC have today become official “overstayers” in Britain following sweeping changes to the government’s immigration policy.
The route to settlement for migrant workers has been extended from five to 15 years, and all new overseas social care visas via the Health and Care Worker visa route have been paused.
Kelly Marashi, director of Kells Domiciliary Care, said repeated attempts to secure answers from the Home Office and through immigration lawyers had left the company at “breaking point”.
Marashi, who has advertised in the JC for decades, contacted the paper in despair over the situation. While Marashi is not Jewish, almost all of her clients are vulnerable members of the north London Jewish community.
“We had two major staffing crises in recent years. One was during Covid and the other was after Brexit.
"The reality is that people in the UK do not want to do care work,” Marashi said.
Although the company is willing to pay the £300 allocation fee required to sponsor overseas workers, it has not received further visa allocations from the Home Office. Marashi added: “Despite having a sponsorship licence, you have to apply for allocation, which is the number of staff you are allowed to employ.
"Now they are not granting us any allocations even though these are people who are already here.
“The six visas expire today. We have applied and written to the Home Office,” she said.
“We truly don’t know what to do.”
She added: “They’re paying a huge amount of tax and they’re treated like dirt. These are people who care for some of the most vulnerable members of society. If I lose these workers, I don’t know what I would do.”
Sponsored migrant care workers provide an estimated 4.2 million hours of care each week to up to 280,000 people across Britain and care providers have warned that tighter immigration rules risk deepening chronic staff shortages.
Among those affected is Shirley, 43, who moved to Britain from Ghana in 2023 with her three children after securing sponsorship with KDC.
“I looked after my grandparents before they died.
"Caring is what I love to do. The UK needed people, and that’s what encouraged me to apply,” she said.
After initially working as 24-hour a live-in carer, Shirley now supports two Jewish clients in Golders Green with complex medical needs, including tube feeding, after receiving specialist training from nurses.
“I love this job, and the people I care for love me too,” she said.
But the uncertainty surrounding immigration policy is taking a heavy toll on her family.
“We are so uncertain about the future because of these constant changes in immigration rules. It is very distressing. You’re always worrying about your future even while at work. It doesn’t give us peace of mind.
“When we arrived, we were told there was a five-year route. We believed that after working here we would eventually be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain. Now the story has changed. They’re saying it could be 15 years before we can even apply.
“I love doing this job, and I would like to stay. But with my children here, I’m always thinking about their future. We don’t feel stable, and we can’t plan ahead.”
David, who has employed KDC to look after several generations of his family for the past 30 years, said: “The carers become part of the family. They are very dedicated, they go above and beyond, it is not just being a carer, they are like family or close friends and are part of our support network.”
He said it would be an “absolute disaster” for his family and the wider community if the carers were forced to leave. “The carers’ dedication to the job is incredible. A lot of these carers from Africa have a very family-centred approach, which is very conducive to caring in the Jewish family, very family-oriented, dedicated to the elders,” he added.
The agency’s MP Bambos Charalambous said he would raise the issue with the Home Office. The Home Office was approached for comment.
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.