There has been a tenfold rise in care sector investigations by the labour exploitation watchdog, GB News can reveal.
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority said that there were 44 investigations into the care sector in 2023, rising from just four in 2021.
There were 23 probes by the watchdog in 2022.
The fresh figures come after a national helpline for victims of modern slavery reported a sharp rise in calls from overseas workers working in the care sector.
There has been a tenfold rise in care sector investigations by the labour exploitation watchdog
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Unseen said that the number of potential victims in the care sector rose by 30 per cent to 918 last year.
That follows an increase of 606 per cent from 2021 to 2022.
The helpline said last year that the calls indicated a leap in labour abuse and forced labour in the care sector, noting the prevalence of foreign national victims in the cases.
The jump in investigations, released in a freedom of information request, have been linked by researchers to a surge in visas issued in the health and social care sector.
Karl Williams, research director of the Centre for Policy Studies, said the figures represented one investigation initiated for every 7,500 health and care visas issued over the last four years, which indicated “rampant abuse” of the visa.
There have been 570,000 health and care visas issued since Jan 2021, the end of the Brexit transition period, of which 99 per cent went to non-EU nationals.
Dependents account for 55 per cent of all people on health and care visas, with the government changing regulations last month to prevent dependents from moving to Britain on this visa route.
When created, the visa was intended that 6,000 people would use it, equivalent to about 0.3 per cent of the combined NHS and social care workforce.
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Last year, 350,000 used it, 58 times the original projection.
At the same time, there was a 606 per cent annual increase in modern slavery referrals in the care sector in 2022, covering over 700 at risk individuals.
The referrals mostly involved women and some children.
Health and social care modern slavery referrals accounted for 18 per cent of referrals across all sectors.
Tory MP Neil O’Brien said the sharp rise in investigations was “yet more evidence of the industrial scale of abuse of the care visa. Every day brings fresh stories about the way this is punching a huge hole in attempts to have a fair and controlled system.”
The MP for Harborough added: “It is a boon for criminals and exploiters. We should pay people in care properly and stop using minimum wage immigration to beat down their wages.”
Mr O’Brien’s reaction to the figures come after a deeply critical report on the Home Office’s approach to the social care visa route, which found widespread abuse of the sponsor licence system.
David Neal, the former independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, found evidence of egregious abuses caused by insufficient oversight.
In one case, 275 visas were issued to a care home that did not exist.
The Home Office had issued 275 visas to a care home that did not existGettyKarl Williams, research director of the Centre for Policy Studies, said: “This is yet more evidence of the rampant abuse of health & care visas.
“Based on the GLAA data, there has been one investigation initiated for every 7,500 health & care visas issued over the last four years. That might not sound like very much, but with health & care visas now being issued at a rate of 350,000 a year, this points to escalating exploitation on an industrial scale.”
Mr Williams added: “Once again, the design of our immigration system is proving it can neither prioritise the immigration the country actually wants, nor protect those who are vulnerable from abuse of the system.”
Last year, Home Secretary James Cleverly announced several changes to visa rules amid criticism for Britain’s record migration numbers.
As of March, social care workers are no longer permitted to bring their partners or children on their visas.
The minimum salary threshold was raised earlier this month.
A government spokesperson said: “We are clear that everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work and rewarded for their contribution to the economy. We have concerns about unethical employment practices, particularly for migrant workers employed within care occupations.
“To address these concerns about abuse within the health and care worker sector, providers in England are now only able to sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission.”