2 days ago
Government uses credit cards to pay for skilled worker visas
The Department for Work and Pensions is employing hundreds of foreign workers despite Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to crack down on net migration, The Telegraph can reveal.
The department, which is the largest employer in Whitehall, has sponsored 250 skilled worker visas and is paying to extend them using government credit cards.
The move comes despite the Prime Minister's pledge that net migration will fall 'substantially' by the end of this parliament, arguing that parts of the economy 'seem almost addicted to importing cheap labour '.
Between January and the end of July this year, the DWP spent £213,000 to extend skilled worker visas on government credit cards.
It is understood that using the cards to extend visas is within Whitehall spending rules, although the policy appears at odds with Labour's own crackdown on the use of government 'procurement cards'.
Labour has previously argued that the credit cards were overused by the Conservatives for frivolous or inappropriate spending.
The news that the DWP is using the cards to extend visas will raise eyebrows among those critical of the high numbers of foreign workers in the UK.
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'Why is the Department for Work and Pensions writing off British workers in favour of foreign nationals?
'This is just more proof that the Government hates Britain and has no intention of reducing immigration.'
The salary threshold for new applications for skilled worker visas in the UK is now £41,700, which possibly suggests that many of the foreign staff at the DWP are more senior civil servants.
Nationally, the average civil service salary is about £34,000, according to figures released last year.
In May, Sir Keir heavily criticised employers for hiring too many foreign staff, pledged to reduce net migration by 2029 and argued that a large number of foreigners in the workforce could be bad for the economy.
He said: 'Some people think controlling immigration is reining in a sort of natural freedom, rather than the basic and reasonable responsibility of the government to make choices that work for a nation's economy.
'And for years, this seems to have muddled our thinking. But let me be clear, it ends now. We will create a migration system that is controlled, selective, and fair.'
He declared that the 'experiment' of untrammelled migration into Britain was over, and that the country risked becoming an 'island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'.
For too long, Britain has been addicted to cheap overseas labour — while 1 in 8 of our own young people aren't in education, employment or training.
I'm putting our young people first, investing in skills they need and ending our dependence on foreign labour.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 17, 2025
Sir Keir later said he regretted that remark, after it was compared to a speech by Enoch Powell. His intervention came after warnings that the Government has lost the trust of the public on migration, with the latest surveys showing 79 per cent of people think Labour is not handling the issue well.
Reform UK, which has pledged to freeze immigration, is consistently the most trusted party on migration, with the support of 36 per cent of the public, according to YouGov.
Labour polls second on the issue, with 11 per cent, while the Conservative Party trails with the support of 6 per cent of the electorate.
The Telegraph contacted every government department to ask how many staff were employed on skilled worker visas. All refused to give a figure.
A DWP spokesman said: 'The DWP is the largest government department with over 90,000 employees who work to deliver vital services to millions of people, including benefits, pensions and employment support.
'These payments are for the extension of visas for existing DWP staff, and the extension of the visas is in line with the Migrant Worker Scheme.
'We currently sponsor 250 staff on a skilled worker visa.'
