…A foreign care worker says she was repeatedly raped by her manager but felt unable to report him to the police for fear of losing her right to work, in a case that exposes the way the UK’s visa system for health and care workers leaves people completely dependent on their employer.

The case is one of more than 170 examples of abuse and exploitation reported by foreign care workers across the UK in an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and Citizens Advice…

A health and care worker visa is only granted once the applicant has a job offer from an approved UK employer, also known as a sponsor. This places employers in an “incredible position of power”, said Dora-Olivia Vicol, the chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, because the worker remains tied to their sponsor for the length of their visa…

Andrew Gwynne, the shadow minister for social care, said the findings highlighted how the government had failed in its promise to fix the crisis in social care. “It is vital that we ensure we have a system where exploitation of overseas workers is not tolerated, and steps must be put in place to stop those who perpetrate abuse,” the MP said….