Many residents of the United Kingdom face the risk of deportation in the coming period, especially after the British government’s recent decision to cancel their sponsor's licenses.
Zimbabwean residents in Britain face deportation
Many Zimbabwean citizens who have traveled to the United Kingdom to work in the care industry fear deportation because their sponsors have lost their licenses.
Around 100 private social care providers' licenses have been withdrawn since November 2023, preventing them from employing staff from foreign nations.
Violation of the rules
Many providers broke the restrictions, leading to the revocation of their licenses. Some typical errors made by providers include failing to disclose changes involving workers they sponsor, such as when a worker does not start their employment on time or a nurse does not finish their registration.
Providers also neglected to notify organizational changes, such as changes in registration or accreditation. They also failed to preserve adequate documents, such as copies of work permits or background checks. Another error was failing to do adequate checks to ensure that workers had the legal right to work in the nation, as well as failing to keep track of when their visas would expire.
Change of employer license
According to the UK Home Office, if your employer loses their sponsor licence, you must leave your work and the UK unless you reapply for a visa to remain in the country. The activities you take will be determined by whether you are already in the UK or overseas when your employer's license changes.
If you are already in the UK and your sponsor loses their license, your sponsorship certificate is canceled, and your visa is limited to 60 days, or the remaining time on your visa if it is less than 60 days. If you do not file a fresh visa application within that time frame, you must leave your work and the UK.
Suspension of the sponsor’s license
If your sponsor's license is suspended, the next steps depend on whether you have already begun working or have filed to renew your visa. If you haven't begun working yet, now is the time. You can continue to work if you've already started. If you have sought to renew your visa, it will not be processed until the suspension period expires.
If your sponsor's business is taken over or they fail to renew their license, your visa will be limited to 60 days, or the remaining time on your visa if it is shorter than that. If your company fails to renew their sponsor license and the takeover happens without a new sponsor license application being submitted within 28 days, you must quit your work and the UK unless you file a new visa application within that time frame.
If you have authorization to visit the UK but have not yet done so, your visa will be revoked, and you will not be permitted to enter the country.
