Employers' Resources (DW)
Displaced workers are people who came to the UK on a work visa, to start a new life and contribute to our society and economy, to fill jobs that our domestic workforce have been unwilling to do, but for one reason or another have lost their sponsor, or have found themselves being exploited by their sponsor.
The CWSS has been working closely with Scottish Government, regional hubs and recruiters to create a process that aims to help simplify access to displaced workers within the social care sector. This in turn, will reduce the stress and anxiety those workers will feel.
Displaced workers
Migrant workers who lose their visa sponsor are likely to experience financial insecurity. Potentially becoming destitute if they do not earn enough to support themselves or their families, especially as they have no recourse to public funds and benefits. This can also lead to exploitation and debt as they borrow to cover living expenses or their situation is exploited by unethical, and criminal, recruiters and employers. They are likely to find it very challenging to find a new sponsor, which is compounded by the ticking clock that is the UKVI countdown to deportation
Scottish Goverment £500,000 funding for Scottish Social Care PHASE 2
The Scottish Government's scheme - Phase 2 ended at the end of March 2026.
We are awaiting information on any possible funding for the 2026/27 financial year. Once we receive this, we will release the details via our mailing list, social media and contacts.
Join our mailing list to be one of the first to hear from us by completing CWSS Newsletter Mailing list – Fill in form
Read more on this work from the Scottish Government at Delivering on social care - gov.scot
Guidance for Scottish Local Authority Social Care Commissioners and Operational Managers
This guidance has been written to support Scottish local authority contracts and commissioning staff who are faced with a care provider having their visa sponsor licence revoked.
The impact of licence revocation will vary depending on the size of the provider and the structure of the local social care market; however this guidance should be considered in all situations.
Download here:
UKVI
UKVI may take up to 2 months, after the sponsor’s licence has been revoked, to send an individual a curtailment letter telling them that their sponsor has lost their licence, and that their visa is being cancelled.
They usually give 60 days notice, so generally a displaced worker will have around 4 months from the time their sponsor’s licence is revoked, to the date their leave to remain in the UK runs out.
If they remain in the UK beyond that date, without finding a new sponsor, or making an application on an alternative route they may be qualified for, then they risk being detained and removed from the UK, with any visa application made within the next 10 years being unlikely to be approved or they will just disappear into the black economy.
The process below has been produced to move things in the right direction quicker and reduce the worry for the workers.
Employing Displaced Workers
The CWSS team have successfully run an event aimed at Scottish adult social care employers and providers on Employing Displaced Workers.
Recruiting and retaining staff remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Scottish Adult Social Care (ASC) sector, especially following the recent closure of overseas recruitment routes for care workers.
At the same time, there are up to 40,000 displaced workers across the UK urgently seeking new sponsors and employment. The UK Government is prioritising support for these individuals, and the Scottish Government is actively encouraging care providers in Scotland to recruit displaced workers.
We will be supporting further events in the coming months and these will be recorded and made available in this area.
Employing Displaced Workers
Our recordings from online events
Certificates of Sponsorship
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) must be assigned to every non-UK worker that an organisation employs, except those on a non-sponsored route, such as those with a Graduate Visa. This guide provides a general overview of Certificates of Sponsorship and some tips for preparing the strongest possible application, but it should not be considered as legal advice. For more details on any particular aspect of the CoS process, refer to the UK.GOV sites, ‘SMS Guides’, ‘UK Visa Sponsorship for Employers’ and other linked resources within the text.
Resource
Recruitment process
- Displaced workers in the UK would contact one of the support hubs or regions already established
- The hubs/regions would share information on workers seeking employment with the recruitment agencies who are at the core of this matching process.
- Employers with vacancies who wish to participate can contact these agencies for details of suitable candidates
- Then there is the normal interview, appointment and onboarding processes
- Everyone involved must agree to work in an ethical way and there can be no cost to the workers themselves
- Employers could advertise their vacancies through job sites (e.g. MyJobScotland)
- Employers could engage a recruitment agency (see below) to identify suitable candidates on their behalf.
- Employers could become involved in a recruitment event.
- Employers could contact one of the charities that support Displaced Workers to find new sponsorship.
- Then there is the normal interview, appointment and onboarding processes.
- Everyone involved must agree to work in an ethical way and there can be no cost to the workers themselves.
- Employers could apply for funding from the Scottish Government scheme to support Scottish adult social care providers to recruit Displaced Workers.
Agencies
Employers can approach a sponsor-matching agency, some of whom specialise in helping displaced workers find a new sponsor. You can search online to find one, or approach one of those listed below, but please be aware that we are not recommending or endorsing their activities, you need to be confident that what they are offering meets your own, personal requirements:
Osborne & Allan specialise in international recruitment within the health and social care sector, supporting candidates who have been displaced and find themselves in a difficult situation to gain employment with a reputable UK employer with no costs to the candidate. They can be contacted by email at hello@osborneallan.co.uk, or by phone at 01592 859999.
Lifted offers a free (to the candidate) sponsor-matching service to workers throughout the UK. Their website can be found via this link.
Borderless is a national initiative connecting care providers with displaced workers to help the sector adapt to new Home Office recruitment regulations. Allowing employers to search a national pool of displaced, qualified care workers, simplify and strengthen compliance with updated Home Office regulations and a free service for businesses and care workers. Contact via www.getborderless.co.uk
Contact us!
If you would like to get in contact with the CWSS team, you can send an email to us at nes.cwssocial@nhs.scot
If you need more information, guidance or support on this topic, get in touch and the CWSS team will respond to you directly.
We welcome your input and comments
LinkedIn Community
Join our LinkedIn community
The Centre for Workforce Supply (Social Care) team would like to invite you to join the LinkedIn group. This group is designed to be a network and community of social care providers, related organisations and other parties interested or involved with the recruitment of overseas workers into adult social care in Scotland.
The community shares resources, highlights events, and the shares best practices within the sector. As a member you will be able to post comments, seek answers to problems and issues, share your experience and be the first to receive new resources.
This is a ‘closed’ group, which means that membership must be approved by the moderators, so please click on the link below and request to join. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12858167/