A secret BBC investigation has exposed a network of rogue recruitment agents in the UK exploiting the immigration system to scam foreign nationals seeking jobs in the UK care sector. One of the individuals at the heart of these operations is Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor who has worked for the NHS in psychiatry and runs a recruitment agency, CareerEdu, based in Essex. The investigation revealed how these agents use illegal tactics to sell fake job placements to hopeful migrants, making large profits from the exploitation of vulnerable people.
The scammers prey on the need for a “Certificate of Sponsorship” (CoS), which is required for foreign workers to apply for the UK’s Health and Care Worker visa. Dr. Alaneme, for example, explained how he would pay agents for procuring care home vacancies and then sell these nonexistent jobs to candidates in Nigeria. Charging for job placements is illegal in the UK, but these agents continue to exploit the system because many immigrants are desperate to secure work.
In the investigation, BBC journalists undercover as potential business partners were given insight into how the scams work. Dr. Alaneme discussed how lucrative the business could be, offering £2,000 for each care home vacancy secured and an additional £500 commission. He also detailed how to set up fake payroll schemes to make the jobs appear legitimate, despite not existing at all.
One victim, “Praise,” from southeast Nigeria, paid Dr. Alaneme over £10,000 for a job placement that never materialized. Praise was promised a position at a care company called “Efficiency for Care” but, upon arriving in the UK, found that the job was a scam. He spent months trying to get answers, but the promises made by both Dr. Alaneme and the care company never came to fruition. It was only after a year that Praise found a legitimate job with another care provider willing to sponsor him.
Further investigations revealed another scam involving Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, a UK-based agent who offered fake Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) for non-existent care jobs and, later, jobs in the construction sector. Agyemang-Prempeh had set up his own construction company, obtained a sponsorship licence, and began exploiting other industries facing labour shortages, like IT, to continue his scam operations.
The Home Office has now revoked the sponsorship licence of both Dr. Alaneme and Agyemang-Prempeh, taking a more robust stance against companies exploiting the UK visa system. Between July 2022 and December 2024, the Home Office revoked more than 470 care sector licences, impacting the recruitment of over 39,000 foreign workers.
This investigation highlights systemic issues within the UK immigration system, with critics like Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, calling it a “national crisis.” The exploitation of migrants through fraudulent job schemes has escalated since the Health and Care Work visa scheme was expanded in 2022 to include care workers, leading to a surge in scams.
The UK government has promised tougher action against employers abusing the system, including bans on businesses that break employment laws. Additionally, as of April 9, 2025, care providers in England will be required to prioritize recruiting international care workers already in the UK before hiring from overseas.
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