Migrant workers are still bringing in as many as 15 family members despite Government crackdown

By TOM KELLY, INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR Published: 22:36, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 22:40, 7 July 2026 Up to 15 dependants are continuing to enter the UK for every care-worker visa issued despite a government crackdown. The Conservatives branded the new figures – which follow years of Daily Mail exposés about failings in the skilled-worker visa system – as 'shocking'. The Home Office granted 12 health and care visas to workers from Cameroon in the year ending March 2026. But a total of 180 visas were issued to family members from the Central African country during the same period. This is a ratio of 15 to one, although the Home Office stresses dependants do not necessarily relate to the migrant worker and many may be joining workers who came to the UK years earlier when far higher numbers of migrant care staff came. The ratio was more than eight dependants arriving per care-worker visa issued for Ghanaians, who gained 257 health and care visas last year, while 2,131 visas were given to family members. The ratio was more than five family members for Bangladeshis and more than four for Indians. The Home Office banned care workers from bringing family members in 2024. The Home Office, now headed by Shabana Mahmood (pictured), granted 12 health and care visas to workers from Cameroon in the year ending March 2026 This bar was extended to all migrant workers unless they had a job at degree level or above last year. But workers who arrived before the curbs were introduced can still bring dependants to the UK. Skilled-worker visas were introduced to attract foreign labour to plug workforce gaps after Brexit. Between their launch in December 2020 and the end of 2024, 1.18million people applied to come to the UK on them, including 630,000 dependants of the main visa applicant. But a damning Commons report last year found 'widespread' abuse of skilled-worker visas.  It warned the Home Office had no idea how many of the migrants who have already come to the UK this way have stayed to work illegally after their permits expired. The Daily Mail has repeatedly exposed 'cash for care job' scams where crooks charge thousands to illegally obtain skilled-worker visas for migrant workers – often promising they can also bring their relatives. Commenting on the new figures, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Far too many people entered the UK on social-care visas and the previous Conservative government was right to put a stop to it.  'But these revelations show those already here on social-care visas are still bringing in large numbers of dependants. This must be urgently stopped.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'Many of those dependants may be joining workers who arrived in the UK several years earlier. 'We have taken significant action to reduce the number of dependants joining workers in the UK – steps which have contributed to overall net migration falling by 82 per cent in just three years.'