Widespread Immigration Scam Exploiting Vulnerable Workers In UK Care Sector

A BBC investigation has uncovered a massive immigration scam targeting foreign nationals seeking jobs in the UK care sector. Recruitment agents, including a Nigerian doctor, have been exploiting vulnerable individuals by selling fake job opportunities and creating phony payroll systems to conceal their fraudulent activities.

Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor and the founder of CareerEdu, a recruitment agency in Essex, stands at the center of this scam. Undercover BBC journalists, posing as potential partners, discovered how these agents have been illegally profiting by selling non-existent positions to job seekers. Dr. Alaneme claimed that recruiting care homes could make agents rich, offering £2,000 ($2,600) per job vacancy, plus a £500 ($650) commission. He also revealed that these fake jobs were marketed to candidates in Nigeria, who paid hefty fees for positions that didn’t exist.

In a covert meeting, Dr. Alaneme bluntly stated, "Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire," later admitting that candidates were illegally paying for jobs. “They are not supposed to be paying because it’s free. It should be free,” he acknowledged, although he justified the exploitation by claiming that the lack of legitimate opportunities made candidates feel pressured to pay.

One victim, Praise, a man from southeastern Nigeria, paid over £10,000 ($13,000) for a supposed job in the UK with a care company called Efficiency for Care. Upon arrival, Praise discovered the job was a complete lie. "If I had known there was no job, I would not have come here," he said. "Back home in Nigeria, if you go broke, you can always rely on family. But here, you’ll go hungry."

The investigation also revealed that Efficiency for Care, the company Praise thought he would work for, had issued over 1,200 Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to foreign workers between March 2022 and May 2023—despite employing only 16 people in 2022 and 152 in 2023. Although the company’s sponsorship license was revoked in 2023, it continues to operate and has challenged the Home Office’s decision in court.

The scam's sophistication went further, with fake CoS documents allowing migrants to choose where they wanted to live in the UK, despite UK immigration laws requiring workers to stay in their assigned roles to maintain their visas. Dr. Alaneme also described how fake payroll systems were set up to cover up the lack of real employment. "That’s what the government needs to see," he said, referring to the fabricated money trail.

Further investigations revealed another recruiter, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, who offered fake CoS for construction jobs after tightening rules in the care industry. Agyemang-Prempeh allegedly set up his own construction company, obtained a sponsorship license, and charged up to £42,000 ($54,000) for securing jobs for workers from Uganda. The Home Office revoked his sponsorship license following the investigation.

In response to the findings, the Home Office vowed to take stronger action against employers abusing the visa system and promised to ban businesses flouting UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers.

Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, expressed deep concern over the extent of exploitation. “The scale of exploitation under the Health and Care Work visa is significant,” she said. “It has turned into a national crisis.” Vicol pointed out that the sponsorship system has created a predatory market, allowing middlemen to profit at the expense of vulnerable workers.

This investigation adds to reports of similar scams affecting people in Kerala, India, and international students in the UK. As a result, the UK government announced a crackdown on "rogue" employers in November 2024. Starting 9 April 2025, care providers in England will be required to prioritize hiring international care workers already in the UK before seeking recruits from abroad.