“The system hasn't been strong enough."
The Home Office does not know whether foreign workers leave the UK or remain illegally after their visas expire, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
In a damning report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the department had failed to analyse exit data since the Skilled Worker visa route was introduced in 2020.
The PAC accused the Home Office of showing “little curiosity about how the route was operating” and failing to collect “basic information”.
Since its launch in December 2020, around 1.18 million people have applied for a Skilled Worker visa.
The route replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa following Brexit and was expanded in 2022 by the then Conservative government to address staffing shortages in the NHS and social care.
The expansion helped drive UK net migration to record levels. But the PAC said the Home Office was still relying on airline passenger data to determine whether someone had left the UK and had not analysed those records for five years.
The report warned: “There is widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions.”
It added that the department had been “slow and ineffective” in tackling these abuses.
The Home Office responded by insisting it had inherited a “broken immigration system” and was “working to repair the public’s trust”.
A spokesperson said: “This report affirms again that the previous government’s decision five years ago to relax visa controls on skilled workers helped to drive an unprecedented increase in the UK’s level of net migration, with almost one million people coming here in 2023.
“We have rolled up our sleeves to fix the broken immigration system, suspending the highest total of skilled worker sponsor licenses since records began in 2012, raising the Skilled Worker threshold back to degree level and ending overseas recruitment to the care sector.
“Through our Immigration Whitepaper, we will deliver lower net migration, higher skills, backing British workers and repairing the public’s trust.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the PAC’s findings and said the government must do more.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The system hasn’t been strong enough. Change doesn’t happen at the flick of a switch.”
Pressed on when the Home Office would be able to track both entry and exit accurately, Cooper said:
“It does take a bit of time – a lot of that system is now in place.”
She also confirmed the government plans to introduce biometric checks in the workplace to verify an individual’s legal status through their fingerprints.
Cooper added: “We’re going to go substantially further.”
Home Office Permanent Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo admitted overstaying remained a “problem” but said the department was working to “fix” it.
Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said there was little transparency in how the Home Office supported those trying to remain legally in the UK.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think this is going to be an issue for the Home Office for some time.
“Their process, so far, doesn’t seem to have been hugely effective.”
The Skilled Worker visa route has been central to the UK’s post-Brexit immigration policy, with the government aiming to attract overseas talent while curbing irregular migration.
However, the PAC’s findings raise serious questions about the department’s ability to manage the scheme and protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.
The committee has now called for clearer systems to track when people leave the UK, as well as stronger measures to prevent abuse.
The government’s commitment to cutting net migration has intensified since Labour entered office, with Cooper in May announcing the end of overseas care worker recruitment.
The move was part of a wider crackdown amid public concern over migration levels.
Despite the pledges, critics argue that systemic issues remain unresolved.
The PAC’s report adds to growing pressure on the Home Office to overhaul its approach and restore confidence in the UK’s visa and migration system.
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