Information and guidance for international and sponsored workers
We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and treated fairly and without discrimination in their employment. Workers who have been sponsored and have come from overseas to work in the care industry may fall victim to exploitation and abuse or may become ‘displaced’ where their sponsor employer loses their licence to employ sponsored workers.
This webpage gives essential information to international / sponsored workers on their rights while working in the United Kingdom and sources of support should they lose their job or be a victim of abuse or exploitation.
Your rights as a Care Worker in the UK
Like any other worker in the UK, you will have employment rights while you are working in the UK. This is important because the rules could be different to the country where you have come from.
Under UK law, as a care worker, you have the following entitlements:
- You must be given an employment contract
- You must be given regular payslips that show any deductions for Tax and National Insurance if you are required to pay it
- You must be paid a minimum of £11.44 per hour (national minimum wage) if recruited during 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025, following which £12.21 per hour will apply from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026.
- The Home Office base their minimum on a 37.5‐hour week so if you are sponsored or contracted to work more or fewer hours than this you need to make sure you still meet the minimum salary requirement on a pro rate basis
- An uninterrupted 20‐minute rest break if you work more than 6 hours in a day
- There must be at least 11 hours of rest between working days
- You must have at least one full day off each week, or two full days every two weeks
- You must have at least 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday per year (prorated as appropriate)
The only deductions that your employer may make from your salary are Tax, National Insurance, Pension, and accommodation costs where your employer provides this to you. Deductions for any other costs must be with your agreement. All deductions must be shown on your wage slip detailing what the deductions are for.