Pokhara, 7 August| Nepali workers employed in the United Kingdom under the Skilled Worker visa route are increasingly reporting financial and psychological exploitation by employers. Complaints include low wages, excessive working hours, denial of paid holidays, failure to provide payslips, and deductions for pension contributions that workers say were not actually deposited into pension schemes. Some Nepali workers who say they have suffered such treatment have taken their cases to employment tribunals in the UK.
The experience of Melissa Thapa, a changed name, illustrates some of the difficulties faced by migrant workers. After completing an MBA at York St John University in 2021, she worked full-time for two years under the UK’s Post-Study Work visa. When that period ended, she decided to remain in the UK rather than return to Nepal and sought sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa. On 9 January 2024, she obtained sponsorship from Bamboo House Limited, a restaurant operated by an Indian national.
According to Thapa, she paid more than £4,500, equivalent to over Rs 900,000, to a solicitor for her visa application at the request of her employer. Her initial employment arrangement stated that she would work 37 hours per week for an annual salary of £21,500. However, she says she did not receive a proper written employment contract after beginning the job and was required to work as many as 42 hours a week. Regardless of the actual number of hours worked, she says she was paid only £400 per week.
Thapa also says she received payslips for only a limited period of her employment. Payslips for May, June and July 2024 showed deductions identified as ‘Nest pension contributions’. When she later contacted Nest, she says she was informed that she had never been enrolled in the pension scheme. The issue raised further concerns about the handling of deductions made from her wages.
She further claims that she received no paid holiday for approximately 26 months, from January 2024 to March 2026. After what she describes as prolonged financial and psychological pressure and unsuitable working conditions, she has taken her case to an employment tribunal. She has also been unemployed for around four months, making her financial situation increasingly difficult.
“I came to court because I was exploited even in a country like the UK,” she said, adding that she intended to continue fighting for her rights even if she eventually had to return to Nepal.
Her experience is not described as an isolated case. Some Nepali migrants who chose to switch from student or Post-Study Work status to the Skilled Worker route after spending substantial amounts of money on sponsorship are now facing employment and immigration-related difficulties. Workers have reported problems involving holiday pay, payslips, wages, taxation, pension contributions and working conditions.
Another Nepali worker, identified by the changed name Isha, is facing uncertainty after her employer encountered licensing problems. Isha has worked as a manager at a restaurant in central London operated by a Pakistani-origin businessman for around three and a half years. She says she spent approximately Rs 2.5 million when extending her visa twice and had expected to become eligible for permanent residence in around one and a half years.
Her situation changed after the restaurant’s licensing and sponsorship status came under scrutiny. The UK Home Office began proceedings concerning the employer’s ability to sponsor workers after alleged failures to comply with government rules and conditions. If an employer’s sponsor licence is suspended or revoked, or if the employer does not renew its licence, affected workers may have a limited period to find another eligible sponsor or may have to leave the UK.
Isha says finding another employer willing to sponsor her for the required salary would be extremely difficult under the current rules. The increase in the salary threshold has made the situation even more complicated for workers whose immigration status depends on sponsorship. She had left her university studies before completing them after moving into the work route and now feels caught between employment and immigration uncertainty.
Immigration adviser Bishnu Kharel, director of Visa Quest UK and also involved in restaurant businesses, said enforcement of Skilled Worker visa compliance has become stricter in recent years. According to him, employers have faced suspension or loss of their sponsor licences following inspections where authorities found failures to meet compliance requirements.
Kharel said some employers have faced problems for failing to pay workers according to their employment agreements, paying below required wage levels, denying holiday pay or weekly rest, or employing workers in positions that do not correspond with the occupation listed on their Certificate of Sponsorship. Such compliance failures can have serious consequences for both employers and sponsored workers.
A London-based takeaway and restaurant operator also said the new rules have made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to recruit workers from Nepal or other countries. The businessperson said restaurants would struggle to afford annual salaries above £41,000 while also meeting extensive compliance requirements and administrative obligations. The tighter rules have therefore affected not only migrant workers but also employers that previously depended on overseas recruitment.
Under the UK Skilled Worker visa system, employers holding an official sponsor licence can recruit eligible overseas workers who meet specified skill, salary and other requirements. However, the government has tightened the immigration system, raising salary thresholds and restricting access to a range of occupations, particularly some non-graduate roles. English-language requirements have also become stricter.
According to UK Home Office figures cited in the report, 68,067 Skilled Worker visas were issued in the 12 months to March this year. Of those, 29,745 were main applicants and 38,322 were dependants. The figure was 30 percent lower than the previous year. Information technology and financial-sector professionals accounted for major groups among Skilled Worker visa holders, while many hospitality-related positions have been affected by changes to eligibility rules.
A Home Office spokesperson said the government had raised the threshold for skilled-worker eligibility, meaning more than 100 occupations would no longer qualify for new Skilled Worker visas. The changes have significantly altered the recruitment environment for businesses that previously relied on overseas workers.
For Nepali migrants, the experiences of workers such as Thapa and Isha highlight that obtaining a Skilled Worker visa does not necessarily guarantee secure employment or long-term stability. Employment contracts, salary conditions, working hours, holiday entitlement, pension deductions and sponsorship arrangements can all have major consequences for a worker’s legal and financial position.
The growing concerns also underline the importance of stronger awareness among Nepali workers before paying large sums for sponsorship or changing immigration routes. Clear employment documentation, lawful wages, proper payslips, pension records and compliance with visa conditions are essential protections. At the same time, employers have a legal responsibility to comply with UK employment and immigration requirements.
As the UK continues to tighten its Skilled Worker immigration system, Nepali workers already in the country may face increasing pressure if their employers lose sponsorship licences or fail to meet compliance requirements. For many, the challenge is no longer simply finding a job, but finding a lawful employer capable of meeting the increasingly demanding salary and sponsorship requirements.
