Written questions by Law.

How many business owners employing those arrested in illegal working raids since 1 July 2024 are being (a) investigated and (b) have been prosecuted under modern slavery offences.

The Home Office take the issues of illegal working and modern slavery seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration and modern slavery laws.The Home Office does not hold data in a format that identifies how many business owners employing individuals arrested during illegal working enforcement operations since 1 July 2024 are being investigated or have been prosecuted under offences in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.Our enforcement approach prioritises administrative sanctions as the most effective means of tackling illegal working and ensuring compliance. Where evidence of criminality, including modern slavery, is identified during enforcement activity, cases are referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation and prosecution.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 76596 and the Answer of 12 January 2023 to Question 119101 on Guantanamo Bay: Closures, whether her Department's policy on granting visas to former Guantanamo Bay detainees has changed following its decision to change its policy on the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.

The first priority of Government is protecting national security and the safety of UK citizens.The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by those posing a national security risk and all applications for visas or UK immigration status are subject to comprehensive checks.It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on operational security matters or specific cases. However, where an individual is assessed as presenting a risk to our country, we take swift and robust action.

What decisions have been taken on the use of Dundee Workforce Accommodation Alloway (Dundee Digs) DD4 8UA for housing asylum seekers.

This Government have committed to close all asylum hotels and to achieve this, we will look at a range of more appropriate sites like disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so that we can reduce the impact on communities.For the safety, security and wellbeing of staff and those being accommodated, the Home Office does not disclose information about accommodation sites which may or may not be utilised to the general public.

How many staff employed in nursing homes in Scotland have had to leave their employer in the last 12 months as a result of their employer's sponsor licence being withdrawn.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.This Government is committed to taking action against employers who breach their duties as sponsors and exploit migrant workers.UKVI are working closely with DHSC’s funded Regional Partnerships to ensure workers impacted in England have access to vacancies in Scotland. UKVI are also working with Scottish officials to deliver processes to support workers impacted by Scottish care providers receive the support they need.

How many nursing homes in Scotland have had their sponsor licence withdrawn this year.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.This Government is committed to taking action against employers who breach their duties as sponsors and exploit migrant workers.UKVI are working closely with DHSC’s funded Regional Partnerships to ensure workers impacted in England have access to vacancies in Scotland. UKVI are also working with Scottish officials to deliver processes to support workers impacted by Scottish care providers receive the support they need.

What recent steps she has taken to help prevent the exploitation of workers on the Seasonal Worker Visa in food supply chains.

Protecting workers from exploitation is paramount in the design and operation of the Seasonal Worker route. The Home Office undertakes extensive assurance action across the route, including significant numbers of boots on the ground visits, including interviews with randomly selected workers. Since March 2023, we have visited 387 farms and conducted 2560 interviews of both farm managers and workers.Defra’s Annual Seasonal Worker survey showed that the vast majority of respondents (94.2%) reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 96.9% expressed a desire to return.Scheme Operators are required to have a clear employer transfer pathway in place as a condition of holding their sponsor licence, including transparent criteria for making a transfer request and a process for considering such requests. This is set out in published Home Office guidance, available at: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We currently have five scheme operators for horticulture and poultry workers who are responsible for 43,000 employees. We carefully manage the allocation each operator receives to ensure that it is commensurate with their scale, capabilities and experience as a scheme operator. Allowing workers to move freely between operators is incompatible with this important safeguard as it could place individuals at greater risk of exploitation.If a significant issue was identified with an individual employer, a Scheme Operator will promptly relocate any workers placed with that employer to a more appropriate farm. This can be done immediately with no need to for further visa applications or any interruption to the workers immigration status. The gives workers a safety net which explicitly ensures that they are not tied to their employer.

How many people who were detained in illegal working raids were entered into the National Referral Mechanism in the last 12 months.

Immigration Enforcement made 2,809 referrals to the National Referral Mechanism and 429 Duty to Notify reports in 2024. Modern slavery: National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify statistics UK, end of year summary 2024 - GOV.UK. We are unable to provide data on how many of these referrals followed an illegal working visit.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 3-5 dental professionals from the list of Skilled Worker Visa eligible sponsored roles on (a) dental professionals working in the UK on Skilled Worker visas and (b) overseas students in the UK training for those qualifications.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect. Dental hygienists and dental therapists play a vital role within our dentistry teams and are highly valued members of the workforce, but the SOC code they are part of is recognised as a medium skilled group. Those already in these medium skilled roles, RQF 3 to 5, made using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July, can extend their visas. New applicants must meet the new degree level skills threshold. Those coming to the UK as students should be aware that this does not guarantee them future employment or extensions to their immigration permission. The Graduate route is designed to allow UK graduates time to work, or look for work, for a set period after completing their studies. It does not guarantee progression to the Skilled Worker route, for which an individual would need to find higher skilled, higher salaried employment after graduation and meet the requirements in place at the time they make their Skilled Worker application.

If she will extend Skilled Worker visa eligibility for overseas students in the UK training for Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 3-5 dental qualifications prior to 22 July 2025.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect. Dental hygienists and dental therapists play a vital role within our dentistry teams and are highly valued members of the workforce, but the SOC code they are part of is recognised as a medium skilled group. Those already in these medium skilled roles, RQF 3 to 5, made using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July, can extend their visas. New applicants must meet the new degree level skills threshold. Those coming to the UK as students should be aware that this does not guarantee them future employment or extensions to their immigration permission. The Graduate route is designed to allow UK graduates time to work, or look for work, for a set period after completing their studies. It does not guarantee progression to the Skilled Worker route, for which an individual would need to find higher skilled, higher salaried employment after graduation and meet the requirements in place at the time they make their Skilled Worker application.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 3-5 dental professionals from the list of Skilled Worker Visa eligible sponsored roles on the UK dental workforce.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect. Dental hygienists and dental therapists play a vital role within our dentistry teams and are highly valued members of the workforce, but the SOC code they are part of is recognised as a medium skilled group. Those already in these medium skilled roles, RQF 3 to 5, made using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July, can extend their visas. New applicants must meet the new degree level skills threshold. Those coming to the UK as students should be aware that this does not guarantee them future employment or extensions to their immigration permission. The Graduate route is designed to allow UK graduates time to work, or look for work, for a set period after completing their studies. It does not guarantee progression to the Skilled Worker route, for which an individual would need to find higher skilled, higher salaried employment after graduation and meet the requirements in place at the time they make their Skilled Worker application.

If her Department will waive biometric visa requirements for students in Gaza who are due to commence university programmes in the UK.

The Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas for all Chevening scholars from Gaza, with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival in the UK.We are in the process of doing the same for a group of students in Gaza who have been awarded fully funded scholarships covering course fees and living costs at UK universities so they can start their studies in Autumn 2025. The Government is doing everything it can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, while noting that the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging.

What steps her Department is taking to secure an agreement on a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU; when the Balanced Youth Experience Scheme for 18-30 year olds between the EU and UK will become operational; who will be eligible to participate; and what support her Department will provide to UK nationals who wish to participate in it.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 12 June to Question 57692.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42554 on Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Complaints, whether North West includes Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales and geographical areas of North West England.

“North West” in this instance includes Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales and North West England.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42556 on Visas: Seasonal Workers, whether Scheme Operators provide written reports to her Department in relation to their work in enforcing welfare on farms.

There is no such requirement at present.UKVI Seasonal Agricultural Worker Officers visit farms, interviewing both workers and farm managers to ensure that worker welfare, accommodation standards, as well as pay and conditions meet the requirements of the route. Regular bi-monthly meetings are held with the licensed sponsors to ensure any complaints raised or issues identified are addressed as soon as possible.Should systemic issues relating to worker welfare be identified that are not acted upon, UKVI will consider taking punitive action against the associated provider, up to and including the revocation of their licence.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37194 on Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Inspections, how many complaints were received by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

'Complaints' is taken to mean referrals received by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) about labour abuses, mistreatment of workers, labour providers operating without a licence or a business using an unlicensed gangmaster.The GLAA reports the number of referrals received in each of the GLAA's regions, over the last 5 years, as: 2020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25TOTALNorth East3264142692131821,404North West21419811777127733South East5154993752283371,954South West2702632241321861,075Multi-Region2922271012100Region not listed152129752213391TOTAL1,5061,5251,0876828575,657'Regions' denote the regions of England. However, 'North West' includes reporting related to Scotland and Northern Ireland; 'North West' includes reporting related to North Wales; and 'South West' includes reporting related to South Wales and Dyfed.

How many UK Visas and Immigration Compliance Unit inspections were carried out in 2024 in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

The information requested is not available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37197 on Visas: Seasonal Workers, what steps she is taking to facilitate Scheme Operators in enforcing welfare on farms.

UKVI Seasonal Agricultural Worker Officers visit farms, interviewing both workers and farm managers to ensure that worker welfare, accommodation standards, as well as pay and conditions meet the requirements of the route. Regular bi-monthly meetings are held with the licensed sponsors to ensure any complaints raised or issues identified are addressed as soon as possible. Should systemic issues relating to worker welfare be identified that are not acted upon, UKVI will consider taking punitive action against the associated provider, up to and including the revocation of their licence.

Whether she has plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of the Seasonal Worker visa scheme on recent trends in the level of worker exploitation.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the Seasonal Worker route under close and ongoing review, including the welfare of participating workers. The Government has noted the contents of the Worker Support Centre Annual Review 2024 and will give due consideration to the issues raised when reviewing the Seasonal Worker route. A key objective of the route is to ensure that overseas workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses. The sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on Scheme Operators to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are protected. Ministers will continue to engage with a range of interested parties on these issues, including the Seasonal Worker Interest Group.

How many UK Visas and Immigration Compliance Unit inspections were carried out in each of the last three years in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

If she will have discussions with the Seasonal Worker Interest Group on the welfare of workers on seasonal worker visas.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the Seasonal Worker route under close and ongoing review, including the welfare of participating workers. The Government has noted the contents of the Worker Support Centre Annual Review 2024 and will give due consideration to the issues raised when reviewing the Seasonal Worker route. A key objective of the route is to ensure that overseas workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses. The sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on Scheme Operators to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are protected. Ministers will continue to engage with a range of interested parties on these issues, including the Seasonal Worker Interest Group.