Tube Staff face Deportation over Visa Rule Changes

Dozens of foreign Transport for London (TfL) employees could face deportation after visa rule changes removed their eligibility for sponsorship.

More than 60 staff, who came to the UK on skilled worker visas, may have to leave. The changes increased salary thresholds and removed key transport roles from the eligible list.

TfL said it was “working with all colleagues affected by the changes… to understand whether they have other routes to work in the UK available to them and to support them where possible”.

London Assembly members have called the move “unfair and short-sighted”. The Home Office defended the policy, saying it aimed to “restore order” to immigration.

It said: “Under this approach, every sector will be required to implement a workforce strategy focused on training British workers, or risk losing access to the immigration system, as part of wider efforts to reinforce the integrity of the points-based system and end dependence on lower-skilled international recruitment.”

The changes took effect on July 22 and will stay in place until at least the end of 2026. TfL is legally obliged to comply.

According to the RMT union, many affected staff first worked under two-year graduate visa schemes, expecting to later move into skilled worker roles.

TfL pays graduates a starting salary of £31,000 and advises sponsorship-seeking candidates to confirm eligibility before applying. Trainee station staff earn between £35,300 and £41,800, with the top figure only £100 above the new £41,700 threshold.

RMT general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, said: “Our members took these jobs in good faith, on the understanding that they could progress and continue building their futures here.

“Now the new government rules risk shattering these workers’ lives and leaving gaps in employment for London Underground.”

An anonymous at-risk employee said they simply wanted a fair chance to work and loved their job.

They said:

“What did I do wrong? What did any of my 60 colleagues facing the same fate do wrong?”

“I have seen them go above and beyond their normal work duties, even preventing vulnerable members of the travelling public from committing suicide on the network.

“Getting the news that my job was now not on a list which would make me eligible to stay in the country, has taken an enormous toll on me and my family.

“It was like a nuclear bomb going off in our household.”

London Assembly Liberal Democrat leader Hina Bokhari said:

“Deporting vital Tube staff because of sudden last-minute rule changes is unfair and short-sighted.

“London relies on the skills and commitment of these people.”

Green Party Assembly member Caroline Russell said:

“The government should withdraw these cruel changes that are going to ruin lives by sending away the workers London depends upon.”