A recent undercover investigation by the BBC has unveiled troubling tactics employed by rogue immigration agents targeting foreign nationals hoping to work in the UK’s care sector.
The investigation, which exposed the exploitation of vulnerable workers, highlights the ease with which these agents manipulate the system and evade detection while continuing to profit from illegal activities.
The investigation revealed that a significant number of foreign nationals seeking employment through the UK’s Health and Care Work visa program are falling victim to a variety of immigration scams.
In one of the most shocking discoveries, a Nigerian doctor, Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, who has worked in the NHS as a psychiatrist, was caught on camera orchestrating illegal recruitment practices.
Alaneme is the founder of CareerEdu, a recruitment agency operating out of Harlow, Essex, that claims to offer global opportunities for Africans. His agency, however, has been implicated in a series of scams, including the illegal sale of non-existent jobs in the UK care sector.
The UK’s visa system, which has been open to abuse, has been the subject of increased scrutiny.
In 2022, the UK government expanded a visa scheme originally intended for foreign medical professionals to include care workers.
This expansion created an environment where rogue agents began exploiting the system, profiting from the sale of fake job offers and Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS), which are required for foreign nationals to work legally in the UK.
Dr. Alaneme’s tactics were revealed through secret filming by the BBC’s undercover journalists.
In one instance, Alaneme offered a potential business partner a hefty commission for securing care home vacancies.
He offered £2,000 ($2,600) for each vacancy procured and an additional £500 ($650) commission. The vacancies were then sold to foreign nationals, many of whom were unaware that the jobs did not exist.
Alaneme himself admitted that candidates often paid for these positions because they had no other choice, despite the fact that charging for job placements is illegal in the UK.
One of the victims, Praise, a man from south-east Nigeria, shared his harrowing experience.
He paid Alaneme over £10,000 ($13,000) for a job placement with a care company called Efficiency for Care in Clacton-on-Sea. When Praise arrived in the UK, he discovered that the job he had been promised did not exist.
Despite months of communication with Alaneme and the care company, Praise found himself without work, stranded in a foreign country, and struggling to survive.
He eventually managed to secure a legitimate job with another care provider, but the financial and emotional toll of the scam was immense.
The BBC investigation also uncovered how these rogue agents have been manipulating the system further by setting up fake payroll systems to cover up the non-existence of jobs.
Dr. Alaneme was filmed describing how fake payroll schemes could be used to create a money trail that would deceive the authorities.
This type of deceit has put countless foreign nationals at risk, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation while the agents continue to make money from their misery.
The BBC investigation also uncovered another immigration agent, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, who ran similar scams. Agyemang-Prempeh offered fake Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) for non-existent jobs in the care sector, and later shifted his focus to the construction industry after rules in the care sector became stricter.
He was caught offering CoS documents for £42,000 ($54,000) for three workers, highlighting the growing trend of fraudulent practices in multiple sectors.
The Home Office, aware of the issue, has taken steps to address the problem.
A statement from the Home Office confirmed that new measures were being put in place to clamp down on employers who abuse the visa system.
As part of these measures, care providers in England will soon be required to prioritize recruiting international workers already in the UK before seeking to recruit from abroad. Since July 2022, more than 470 care sector licenses have been revoked, and the Home Office is determined to ensure that those who flout the rules face consequences.
This BBC investigation adds to a growing body of evidence about the extent of immigration scams targeting foreign nationals in various countries.
Previous investigations have uncovered similar frauds in Kerala, India, and among international students in the UK.
The UK government has vowed to take action against these unscrupulous employers to protect workers from exploitation and to ensure the integrity of the immigration system.
