Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving health and care workers on Tier 2 visas a certificate of common sponsorship.

The Skilled Worker immigration route, which includes the Health and Care visa, relies on the sponsorship system to ensure that international recruits are coming to a guaranteed job and will not be abused in terms of salary and conditions.

A core tenet of the immigration system is the recognition that those who most directly benefit from bringing workers to the UK must play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the system, including meeting all of the duties of sponsorship to ensure that the migrants they are bringing to the UK are genuinely intending to work.

There are over 105,000 licensed sponsors and workers can apply to change sponsors as they wish.

Last week we announced our commitment to minimising abuse of the visa and immigration system by unscrupulous employers. Further details can be found here: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.

Allowing migrants into the UK without the protection of genuine guaranteed employment, and no access to public funds should that employment cease, would create a cohort of people who could become destitute. Open or unsponsored work permits could also lead to this state.