Labour Migration Corridor
Nepal → UK
The Nepal-UK corridor is smaller in volume than ILSI's Gulf, Malaysia and Korea corridors but has grown steadily in recent years, driven primarily by demand for care workers and, to a lesser extent, skilled workers in sectors such as hospitality, healthcare support and construction. Most Nepali workers enter under points-based sponsored work visa routes, requiring a licensed UK sponsor to have offered a genuine job before a visa application can be made.
This corridor differs structurally from ILSI's other pilot corridors in that recruitment is generally mediated through UK-licensed sponsoring employers or care providers rather than the higher-volume agency networks common in Gulf and Malaysian recruitment, and UK immigration rules place specific compliance obligations directly on sponsors. This has generally meant more individually negotiated contracts and closer regulatory oversight of the employer relationship than in higher-volume, lower-skill corridors, though it does not eliminate risk, particularly around fees charged by intermediaries operating in Nepal before a worker ever reaches a UK sponsor.
Care sector recruitment in particular has expanded quickly as UK health and social care providers have faced acute staffing shortages, drawing workers, including a growing number of women, into residential and home care roles. This shift has created new demand for pre-departure orientation tailored to the specific expectations of UK sponsored work, including realistic information about the cost of living, accommodation arrangements, and the sponsor-tied nature of the visa.
ILSI's work in this corridor focuses on contract literacy for sponsored work visas, awareness of the illegal fees sometimes charged by unlicensed intermediaries in Nepal, and helpline support for the smaller but growing number of Nepali workers building a life in the UK under these routes.
Legal framework
Nepali workers travelling to the UK for employment generally do so under the UK's points-based immigration system, most commonly via the Skilled Worker visa route or, for care roles, the Health and Care Worker visa route, both of which require sponsorship by a UK employer holding a valid sponsor licence issued by UK Visas and Immigration. The employer must provide a certificate of sponsorship confirming the job, salary and working arrangements before a worker can apply for their visa.
UK sponsors carry specific compliance duties under these routes, including a general prohibition on passing recruitment costs associated with sponsorship on to the worker, and obligations around reporting and record-keeping enforced by the Home Office. Workers employed in the UK are also protected by general UK employment law, covering the National Minimum Wage, working time and unfair dismissal protections, which apply regardless of nationality or visa route once a person is lawfully working in the UK.
On the Nepal side, workers should still expect labour approval processes to apply where recruitment is facilitated through a registered Nepali agency, and should be alert to the fact that a UK sponsor's own recruitment process does not remove the need to check that any Nepal-based intermediary involved is properly licensed. Because UK immigration rules are reviewed periodically, current route requirements should always be confirmed via the official UK government immigration guidance or the UK sponsor directly.
Key risks
The most significant documented risk in this corridor is illegitimate fee charging by unlicensed intermediaries in Nepal who claim to arrange or accelerate UK sponsorship, despite genuine UK sponsors being prohibited from passing recruitment costs on to workers. Workers have also reported cases where the job or salary actually offered on arrival differs from what was described during recruitment, underscoring the importance of checking the certificate of sponsorship details directly rather than relying solely on an agent's description.
Care sector workers in particular can face high living costs relative to salary in some UK regions, and accommodation arrangements tied to an employer can create dependency similar in effect, if not in legal form, to risks seen in other corridors. Some care workers have reported sponsors reducing guaranteed working hours after arrival, which can affect income stability and, in some cases, visa conditions tied to a minimum salary threshold.
Because this route relies on the sponsor retaining a valid licence, workers can also face serious disruption, including risk to their visa status, if a sponsor's licence is revoked for compliance failures unrelated to the individual worker. ILSI's guidance for this corridor emphasises verifying a sponsor and agent's legitimacy before paying any fee, and understanding what to do if a sponsor's circumstances change unexpectedly after arrival.
Indicative wage data
| Sector | Typical Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Health and social care | Indicative range, subject to the UK's Health and Care Worker visa salary requirements | Guaranteed minimum weekly hours should be confirmed in writing before departure. |
| Hospitality and food service | Indicative range, subject to Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds | Service charge distribution rules should be set out clearly in the contract. |
| Construction and skilled trades | Indicative range, generally at the higher end of this corridor | Subject to sector-specific UK right-to-work and qualification recognition requirements. |