Home Office figures show 180 visas were issued to family members of Cameroon migrants for just 12 workers

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Thanks, MaizieD. I’m glad I’m not the only person tired of this platform being used for repeated rage-baiting about migrants.

And of course, Reform’s Zia Yusuf and Matt Goodwin are pushing this through X.

Portes writes: The text from the Times article for the record. The journalist to whom this was credited has accepted this is both garbled and wrong and said that it will be corrected. Let's see.

I retract what I said about the Times article. The numbers sounded outlandish.

You and Mazie are certainly not the only two completely and utterly fed up with migrants being completing slated day in, day out.

To add to the insult, today’s “story” isn’t only untrue, but the scheme has stopped!

Maybe those who just don’t appear to be able to stop with this constant outrage, should save their outrage for the likes of Farage?

Thank you, MaizieD and NotSpaghetti , for giving us some factual information about this. I do wish that the divisive rhetoric in the mass media would stop.

Sunshinegirls

Err the Cameroon care workers and dependants are probably laughing all the way to the bank😀 I'm certainly not laughing I feel like crying at what a joke the UK has become.

It wasn’t a true statement! There were no 180 dependents for 12 workers!

Why would they be laughing all the way to the bank? You do understand what “no recourse to public funds” actually means?

Thanks, MaizieD. I’m glad I’m not the only person tired of this platform being used for repeated rage-baiting about migrants.

And of course, Reform’s Zia Yusuf and Matt Goodwin are pushing this through X.

Portes writes: The text from the Times article for the record. The journalist to whom this was credited has accepted this is both garbled and wrong and said that it will be corrected. Let's see.

I retract what I said about the Times article. The numbers sounded outlandish.

Smileless2012

I'd have preferred it to have never been allowed in the first place. 180 dependants for 12 migrant workers!!!

Well, your preference has been met, because, in fact, it turns out it wasn’t 180 for 12 migrant workers!!!

So, that’s good isn’t it!!

NotSpaghetti

Cameroonians (and other overseas care workers) didn'tjust come on a "small boat". We actively invited them to come via legal routes because our social care system was on the brink of collapse.

I've just looked this up and by 2022, there were over 160,000 unfilled vacancies in the care sector - it was a crisis compounded by Covid and Brexit.

Cameroon is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Red List so they can't be targeted for mass recruitment. The people who came must have been quite driven individuals - who took the initiative and actively sought out care homes in the UK for themselves and applied to them directly.

Under UK immigration law, a Dependant Visa (which is how the family members came) has different rules than the main worker came under but either way these families have no recourse to public funds
They don't even get child benefit.

To get here, they also had to pay for the visa and pay thousands of pounds for use of the NHS.
They are having to work immediately, and pay taxes.

They are legally unable to claim benefits for (depending on circumstances) either 5 or 15 years. Meanwhile they have to keep working to self-finance so that they can finally get indefinite leave to remain.

I think people are overly cross about this.

AND as several people have said now, this scheme is over!.

Goodness! Facts, that’s a novelty!

It is utter “click-bait” but then again some people just cannot help themselves.

It’s a scheme which clearly needed overhauling, and has been, it’s been deliberately written to “mis-lead” and there are so many more things to be outraged about.

The scheme was flawed, the scheme no longer operates. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

President Donald Trump for a start.......

Primrose53

If there was a couple living here illegally for 18 years they were never part of the scheme in question as that only started in 2022 - and those people would never have been illegal.

I think this is a conflation.

Maybe some of them will have found some form of employment in the multitude of Vape Shops.

NotSpaghetti

It's also absurd that the article is illustrated with a picture of people on a dinghy type boat!

Of course it is. Clickbait again...

Cameroonians (and other overseas care workers) didn'tjust come on a "small boat". We actively invited them to come via legal routes because our social care system was on the brink of collapse.

I've just looked this up and by 2022, there were over 160,000 unfilled vacancies in the care sector - it was a crisis compounded by Covid and Brexit.

Cameroon is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Red List so they can't be targeted for mass recruitment. The people who came must have been quite driven individuals - who took the initiative and actively sought out care homes in the UK for themselves and applied to them directly.

Under UK immigration law, a Dependant Visa (which is how the family members came) has different rules than the main worker came under but either way these families have no recourse to public funds
They don't even get child benefit.

To get here, they also had to pay for the visa and pay thousands of pounds for use of the NHS.
They are having to work immediately, and pay taxes.

They are legally unable to claim benefits for (depending on circumstances) either 5 or 15 years. Meanwhile they have to keep working to self-finance so that they can finally get indefinite leave to remain.

I think people are overly cross about this.

AND as several people have said now, this scheme is over!.

The article in question is factually wrong

Economist Jonathan Portes corrects the figures on BlueSky:

‪Jonathan Portes‬
‪@jdportes.bsky.social‬
· 19h
Click bait racist bullshit from the Times/Chris Philp.

12 Cameroonians did not sponsor 15 dependants each.

12 new work visas were issued to Cameroonians.

180 visas were issued to dependants of the (many thousands of) Cameroonians *already here.

He further points out:

The journalist to whom this was credited has accepted this is both garbled and wrong and said that it will be corrected. Let's see..

bsky.app/profile/jdportes.bsky.social/post/3mpysbrty5227

Usual rage-baiting.

I find it ridiculous that current Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp is blaming the current government for a policy it introduced in a hurry when James Cleverly was Home Secretary.

Facts:

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9920/

Note Parliament were not allowed a vote on this. It was all done quickly through statements of changes to the Immigration Rules. Rushed policy is often flawed.

A more balanced version from The Times:

removepaywalls.com/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/migrant-care-workers-family-members-dependants-rules-b6z776xs7

Current rules:

www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa/your-partner-and-children

The current government is tightening the rules. House of Commons briefing paper on immigration white paper dated 3 June 2026:

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10267/

NotSpaghetti

It's also absurd that the article is illustrated with a picture of people on a dinghy type boat!

You are free to look at the same news from other sources.

I have no idea why they chose that photo but this case was featured on TV last week. The couple were also from Cameroon and it was later discovered (although Lord knows why it took so long) that they had been living here illegally for 18 years! He claimed to be paraplegic but was caught on CCTV walking perfectly well, no stick, nothing.

Our system must be so weak if people whose first language is not English can get round it and claim £1 million in benefits. Not only that but they were given a council flat which they never lived in after they were able to buy two other properties in London.

love.lambeth.gov.uk/married-couple-who-illegally-claimed-1-million-in-benefits-sentenced-to-over-15-years-in-prison-following-lambeth-council-probe/

It's also absurd that the article is illustrated with a picture of people on a dinghy type boat!

Err the Cameroon care workers and dependants are probably laughing all the way to the bank😀 I'm certainly not laughing I feel like crying at what a joke the UK has become.

The headline deliberately stokes up anger saying Cameroonian workers brings over 15 people. In reality, the overall national average for the care sector—before the rules were changed—was about 1.5 dependants per worker (usually just a partner and a child, or just a partner).

Now the rules are changed - as Cossy explained.

Who is laughing at the UK please?

Exactly Sunshinegirls. We know how badly paid care workers are, there's no way someone could financially support an average of 15 dependant family members on that wage.

I sometimes see posters saying our country is a laughing stock and when I see things like this, I'm not surprised . Whoever thought that was a good idea must have s..t for brains.

I think they were care workers I saw on TV. How can they support all their dependants err they probably can't and they will be on top up or full benefits for life what a shambles.

I'd have preferred it to have never been allowed in the first place. 180 dependants for 12 migrant workers!!!

I agree, these figures are high, however these show “transitional” claims which can no longer be made as the law has already been changed.

It’s a real catch 22 situation for both our country and these workers. They came here legally to work, mainly it seems in our care industries, on the understanding they could apply for their dependent family workers to join them.

This is no longer the case and, as I stated earlier, these figures are high per worker, but hopefully many of these dependents will ultimately find legally obtained paid work with their legally obtained visas.

What would you prefer to see happen?

All of them, including those already working here and all being here totally legally, returned to their countries of origin?

I did read the entire piece and do understand it’s more than just the 180 in the headlines.