“We Are Not Prisoners” — Migrant Care Workers Sing Aṣa’s ‘Jailer’ at UK Labour Conference Over Visa Restrictions

Hundreds of migrant care workers and their supporters have staged a demonstration outside the United Kingdom's Labour Party Conference, singing Nigerian musician Aṣa's popular song Jailer while wearing symbolic chains to protest immigration policies they say leave foreign workers vulnerable to exploitation. The demonstration brought attention to concerns about employer-sponsored visas and proposed changes to permanent settlement requirements, with protesters demanding greater employment freedom, fair treatment and protection for workers recruited from overseas.

The protest took place on Monday, September 28, 2026, outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where approximately 400 demonstrators gathered under the Fair Visa Campaign organised by UNISON, one of Britain's largest trade unions. Participants wore symbolic balls and chains while singing Jailer, a song released in 2007 by Nigerian singer Bukola Elemide, professionally known as Aṣa. The demonstration challenged proposals associated with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood that could require some lower-paid migrant workers to wait up to 15 years before qualifying for indefinite leave to remain, rather than the existing five-year route.

The protesters used music and symbolic displays to communicate their concerns about the restrictions faced by migrant workers whose immigration permission depends on an employer's sponsorship. UNISON explained that the choice of Jailer reflected the song's themes of oppression, power and resistance to being treated as a prisoner. Videos circulated by the union showed participants singing together as they called for changes to the immigration system.

The demonstration was held near the conference security zone, close to Liverpool's Albert Dock, where Labour politicians and delegates had gathered to discuss government policy. UNISON organised the protest to draw attention to workers employed in social care, the National Health Service and other essential public services. The union maintained that the immigration system should protect workers who provide important services rather than leave them exposed to unfair employment practices.

One of the protesters' central demands was the introduction of a sector-wide sponsorship arrangement for social care workers. Under the existing Skilled Worker sponsorship system, a migrant worker's immigration permission is generally connected to an approved sponsoring employer. Although changing employers is legally possible, workers normally need a new eligible sponsor and approval to update their immigration permission before beginning the new sponsored employment.

UNISON argues that this arrangement can create difficulties for workers experiencing exploitation because leaving an abusive employer may also place their immigration status at risk. The union says workers who fear losing sponsorship may be reluctant to challenge unfair treatment, report misconduct or leave unsuitable employment. It wants a system that would allow social care employees greater freedom to move between approved employers without repeatedly facing immigration uncertainty.

The second major demand concerns the qualifying period for permanent settlement. Under the existing framework, many eligible Skilled Worker visa holders can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, provided they satisfy the relevant requirements. The government's proposed earned-settlement reforms could substantially increase that period for certain categories of migrant workers, including some lower-paid employees.

UNISON has warned that extending the period to 15 years would prolong uncertainty for workers who entered the country expecting to qualify for settlement after five years. The union argues that changing the rules for people already living and working in Britain would undermine confidence in the immigration system and make long-term planning more difficult for affected families.

Speaking at the demonstration, UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan criticised the proposed changes and defended the contribution of international workers to British public services. She said the NHS, social care and other essential services depend on migrant staff who care for patients, older people and vulnerable individuals. Egan argued that workers recruited to support these services should not face prolonged insecurity because of changes to government immigration policy.

The union leader also challenged what she described as the government's failure to honour expectations created when migrant workers were recruited. She maintained that extending the settlement period would expose workers to additional years of uncertainty and potentially increase their vulnerability to exploitation. Her remarks formed part of UNISON's wider campaign for secure immigration status, fair employment conditions and stronger protections against abusive employers.

Labour MPs Kim Johnson and Richard Burgon also addressed the demonstration, lending political support to the workers' concerns. Their participation highlighted disagreements within the governing party over the proposed immigration reforms. Some Labour politicians have argued that workers who arrived under existing settlement expectations should not face substantially longer qualifying periods after establishing their lives in Britain.

The protest also followed criticism from senior Labour figures, including Angela Rayner, who previously described making permanent settlement more difficult for migrants already in the country as un-British. Her position reflected concerns about fairness towards people who had entered the UK legally and contributed to essential services under the immigration arrangements available at the time.

For Nigerian migrants, the demonstration carries particular significance because Nigeria has been a major source of overseas workers recruited into Britain's social care sector. Home Office statistics show that 18,143 Nigerian nationals received visas to work as care workers and home carers in 2023. Nigerians were among the largest national groups entering the sector through the Health and Care Worker visa route during that period.

The recruitment of international care workers has helped British employers address staffing shortages, particularly in services supporting older people and adults with disabilities. However, the sector has also faced documented concerns about unethical recruitment, excessive fees, inadequate working hours and employers threatening workers with the loss of sponsorship. These problems have prompted calls for stronger enforcement of employment rights and immigration safeguards.

The government has acknowledged exploitation within parts of the sponsorship system. On October 9, 2026, it announced additional protections intended to help recognised victims of modern slavery leave abusive sponsors and obtain lawful employment. The measures address some circumstances involving exploitation, although they do not amount to the sector-wide sponsorship arrangement demanded by UNISON.

The Home Office has also defended the need to review immigration and settlement policies, arguing that the system must balance fairness towards people who migrated legally with wider public interests. Speaking during the Labour conference, Mahmood indicated that concerns about the proposed settlement changes were being considered. At that stage, the government had not announced a final decision on whether existing migrant workers would be exempted from longer qualifying periods.

The Homecare Association, which represents employers in the sector, has also expressed concerns about extending settlement requirements. It warned that a 15-year qualifying period could discourage experienced workers from remaining in social care and increase recruitment and retention difficulties. Its intervention demonstrated that opposition to the proposal extends beyond trade unions to organisations representing care providers.

The Liverpool demonstration has therefore brought together two related demands: greater independence from individual sponsoring employers and protection of the existing five-year settlement pathway. For the workers who participated, singing Aṣa's Jailer provided a public expression of their concerns about employment security and immigration restrictions.

Although the protest has ended, the policy dispute remains unresolved. UNISON continues to demand changes to sponsorship arrangements and the withdrawal of proposed settlement restrictions, while the government considers the future framework for migrant workers. The demonstration has placed renewed attention on the treatment of people whose work supports Britain's health and social care services.

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