Are some private care providers exploiting illegal immigrants?

Community Care blogger Adam McCulloch this week collated anecdotal views on care providers exploiting illegal immigrants. His blog shows how a woman left her job in home care after she claims she experienced a number of problems with a former employer who, she alleges, was exploiting illegal immigrants who would not complain about their treatment given their legal status in this country.

Last month a care home worker was jailed for five months after falsifying passport details. The judge did not order his immediate deportation however and recognised that the man was a valuable and hard working member of the care home team.

Thinktank the Institute for Public Policy and Research produced a report in 2006 which suggests that an amnesty for illegal immigrants could cost the economy £6 billion. The IPPR research shows that forcibly deporting hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants, particularly those who have been in the UK for many years, could cost the tax payer around £4.7 billion, while regularising work status could net the Treasury around £1 billion a year and is simply not feasible.

It is likely that many illegal immigrants are working in low-paid jobs including home care.We want to hear from you: In your experience, are private care home providers employing illegal immigrants on a large scale?

If you know of similar problems, email Simeon Brody with your story.

More information

Blog