Kerala Visa Scam: Police Warn As Hundreds Duped With Fake UK, Canada, Australia Job Offers

Authorities in Kerala have sounded the alarm over a sharp rise in visa fraud cases, with hundreds of people losing money to fraudulent job offers abroad. Police in Ernakulam rural district report receiving multiple complaints daily from victims who were promised employment opportunities in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, only to realise they had been scammed.

A warning was issued recently urging the public to be cautious against fraudulent recruitment agents and fake employers, reported news agency PTI.

The warning follows a BBC report that uncovered the exploitation of people from Kerala who migrated to the UK under the care worker visa scheme. The report highlighted the ordeal of a man from Kerala, who spent £15,000 (around Rs 16.65 lakh) — his savings from nearly half a lifetime of work — to secure a care worker job for his wife in the UK.

The couple had hoped for a better future for their special needs child. However, on reaching the UK, they found out that there was no job waiting for them. The private care home in Bradford, which had sponsored the visa, allegedly made excuses and later forced the man’s wife into unpaid training, offering only three days of work, according to the report.

Unable to sustain themselves, they returned to India within months, leaving them financially devastated.

The man said that he believes he was scammed by the company, and added that the experience set him back financially by at least a decade, the BBC report said.

Visa fraud cases are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of exploitation, especially among nurses and care workers from Kerala seeking opportunities abroad. 

To curb the growing abuse of the system, the UK Home Office introduced stricter regulations in January 2024. 

The minimum salary threshold for care workers was increased from £26,200 (around Rs 29.11 lakh) to £38,700 (around Rs 43 lakh), and dependents were barred from accompanying visa holders. Employers were also prohibited from passing on sponsorship fees to workers.

Apart from that, since July 2022, the UK government has revoked around 450 sponsorship licences in the care sector to crack down on fraudulent recruiters. But for those already trapped in the system, these changes have come too late.

Back in Kerala, police have said that they are willing to collaborate with international agencies like Interpol to track down fraudulent recruiters.