Record numbers of employers across all sectors have been banned from sponsoring foreign workers under a crackdown on abuse of the immigration system.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, 1,948 licences allowing employers to bring in migrant workers were revoked: more than double the number in the previous 12 months (937). 

Many of the employers had been using work visas to help migrants circumvent immigration rules, as well as undercutting domestic workers by underpaying and exploiting migrant staff reliant on their jobs to stay in the country. 

Adult social care, hospitality, retail and construction are among the sectors with the highest levels of abuse, data shows.

Read about this and more in our weekly newsletter for 24 September 2025