Transport for London (TfL) employees have delivered a letter to Downing Street following the government’s dismissal of a request from City Hall to engage in discussions about visa alterations that may compel many individuals to leave the UK.
Recent updates to immigration policies have heightened the skills requirements for international workers, removed certain transport positions from the “skilled workers” list, and increased salary thresholds necessary for visa sponsorship.
The RMT union is urgently advocating for transitional safeguards for all 63 impacted workers, whom they categorize as “a special category of workers.”
London’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, expressed profound disappointment regarding the situation in a recent statement. The Home Office has been contacted for their response.
Speaking outside Downing Street, Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of the RMT, stated, “These workers have permanent employment contracts and were led to believe they had the right to stay in Britain. They’ve begun creating families here, and we find this situation to be fundamentally unfair. We’re not here to debate broader policy issues; we’re here to say that this is simply unacceptable.”
Dempsey continued: “These are commendable individuals in a unique position, and we are calling for an exemption. We urge a pause for reconsideration so that these individuals can continue to live their chosen lives in the UK.”
One of the affected employees, Avi Kherg, shared with the BBC Politics London program that he was “taken aback” to learn that the new regulations could necessitate his return to India.
Having arrived in the UK on a student visa three years prior, Kherg secured a position as station staff, which then allowed him to apply for a skilled worker visa, enabling him to stay for five years.
He remarked, “I felt like we were being treated like garbage, used for a few years and then discarded. We adhered to every rule and paid every fee, no matter how exorbitant it seemed. We sold all our belongings back home and have no ties left. We regard this country as home… it felt inhumane.”
TfL stated that 61 employee visas are set to expire within the next 12 weeks, although this figure may be higher since staff are not obligated to inform TfL of their visa status.
According to the TSSA union, the impact could extend to approximately 300 workers.
Last month, Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, reached out to the government requesting a suspension of these changes, as he noted it had left many TfL employees at “imminent risk of losing their jobs and the right to remain,” potentially leading to “operational issues” for TfL.
On October 30, Mike Tapp, the minister for migration & citizenship, replied, stating he “could not commit to a meeting on this matter.”
In his letter, Mr. Tapp noted, “Individuals coming to the UK as students or through youth mobility schemes should understand that this does not ensure future employment or the extension of their immigration status.”
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan expressed his deep disappointment regarding the predicament facing TfL workers. “These transport workers have provided invaluable service to Londoners during the pandemic, often at significant personal risk, ensuring our capital continues to function. The mayor believes it is unjust that these visa changes are affecting current employees in a manner that threatens both their jobs and their right to remain in the UK.”
Earlier this year, the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) union raised alarms about how the visa changes could potentially impact over 1,000 prison staff, primarily from African nations, who had been sponsored by prisons across the UK under skilled worker visas.
Mark Fairhurst, the national chairman of the POA, described the amendment as “scandalous” and hastily enacted in response to demands from Reform. He stated, “We have reached out to ministers requesting the reversal of this decision and an exemption for prison officers, as we need the staff they are forcing out of the country, but our appeals have been ignored.”
