The number of licences that allow companies to bring in migrant workers has more than doubled in the past year, according to new government data. The sharp increase reflects tougher action by the Home Office against firms accused of abusing the immigration system.
In the year to June 2025, 1,948 licences were cancelled, compared with 937 in the previous 12 months. Officials said the main reasons included underpaying migrant workers, exploiting them in poor working conditions, and using the visa system to help people bypass immigration rules. Employers in adult social care, hospitality, retail, and construction were found to be among the biggest offenders.
The Home Office said the crackdown was proof that the government was taking “real action to secure our borders” and reduce illegal migration. Ministers stressed that many of the cancelled licences involved companies that promised jobs that did not exist or paid workers less than what was agreed, leaving migrants vulnerable because their legal right to stay depended on the visa.
Migration Minister Mike Tapp told BBC Breakfast that visa abuse was a major factor in the UK’s migration challenge. “A large proportion of asylum claims and illegal migrants are actually visa overstayers,” he said. “A part of that is employers scamming the system, bringing people in when they shouldn’t be.” He added that the licence removals showed Labour was delivering on its pledge to ensure British workers were given priority for available jobs.
The tougher stance comes as the government faces mounting pressure over record migration levels. While ministers argue that revoking licences is a necessary step to protect both UK workers and vulnerable migrants, some businesses have pushed back. They say the bans threaten not only their operations but also the livelihoods of foreign workers who depend on their jobs to remain in the country legally.
Critics also questioned the effectiveness of the policy. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the government was “tinkering around the edges” while failing to deal with the wider issues. He argued that sectors such as care and construction had become too reliant on foreign labour because of what he called Labour’s refusal to train more British workers or reform welfare to get more people into employment.
Migration Watch UK, a think tank that campaigns for lower immigration, also weighed in. Its chairman, Alp Mehmet, pointed out that almost 50,000 organizations still hold licences to sponsor migrant workers, suggesting that the number revoked, while higher than before, remained relatively small. He called for stricter rules requiring degree-level qualifications for skilled visas and urged employers to consider local recruitment before looking abroad.
The announcement is one of the first major actions under new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who took over following a cabinet reshuffle. She warned that the UK could suspend visas from countries that fail to cooperate on returning migrants who have no legal right to remain. However, she acknowledged that the rise in revoked licences began before she entered office.
The Home Office stated that the success of the crackdown was partly due to improved intelligence sharing with police and other agencies. Unlike in the past, when checks were often random, investigators are now targeting employers based on evidence of abuse. In addition to licence revocations, the government said it was expanding sanctions by closing down offending businesses and issuing financial penalties.
The latest figures highlight the deep tensions in Britain’s immigration debate—between protecting migrant workers from exploitation, securing borders, and addressing the labour shortages that leave many businesses dependent on overseas staff.