Home Office opens probe into migrants ‘buying fake jobs to stay in UK illegally’
The Home Office is investigating reports that migrants are buying fake jobs to stay in the UK.
An investigation by Times It uncovered numerous examples of “visa agents” offering to help immigrants obtain a fake business record to prove their visa sponsorship rights and allow them to stay in the country.
A growing number of people are securing fake jobs through the networks behind the schemes. Times.
The newspaper said it interviewed 26 representatives and uncovered 250 samples of fake jobs used to promote skilled worker visas.
Responding to the inquiry, a Government spokesman said: “We are investigating this illegal activity and it will not be tolerated.
“We will do whatever it takes to protect our borders and reduce immigration levels. Refusal rates for skilled workers have increased significantly under this government and we have seen a reduction of more than 100,000 visa applications in 2025.”
“Immigration has fallen by two-thirds, skilled worker sponsor cancellations are also at record levels under this government and we have doubled the waiting period for repeat offenders.”
The skilled worker visa sponsorship scheme at the center of the investigation was created in 2020, when Boris Johnson was prime minister.
It allows immigrants to live legally in the UK provided they have a certificate of sponsorship from an approved employer.
The scheme was used to help fill vacancies in professions in short supply, such as masonry, health support work and social care.
But the investigation yielded several examples of agents and intermediaries who submitted fake resumes, bank records and payroll documents in an attempt to show immigrants had jobs authorized by the program that did not actually exist.
The investigation revealed that migrants were asked to pay up to £13,000 to forge documents that allowed them to obtain a certificate of sponsorship.
Some were left out of pocket after being defrauded by unscrupulous actors in the thriving black market.
The government’s political opponents claimed the investigation showed Labor had no control over the immigration system.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This shocking investigation shows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has no control over our immigration system.
“Scammers are enabling immigrants to voluntarily enter or stay in this country illegally. This makes a mockery of the laws passed by Parliament. Shabana Mahmood must urgently address this problem and put an end to the rampant fraud she presides over.”
A spokesman for Reform UK said: “This scandal reveals a complete breakdown in border and immigration enforcement under successive governments. A lax sponsor licensing system enabled fraudulent visas, illegal work and a thriving black market where agents pocketed tens of thousands while the Home Office turned a blind eye.”
“Anyone who fails to act must be prosecuted and feel the full force of the law.”
Data released in January showed that skilled worker visa applications fell sharply in 2025.
The number of people applying for a skilled worker visa fell 36% year on year to 85,500 from 132,700.
Meanwhile, nearly 61,000 people applied for a health and care worker visa last year, either as a principal applicant or as a dependent; this number is down by just over half (51%) from 123,300 in 2024.
The declines are likely to reflect changes introduced by the Labor Government in summer 2025 to restrict the arrival of foreign nationals, including ending the overseas recruitment of care workers and increasing the minimum wage for skilled workers from £38,700 to £41,700.
