More than a hundred migrants and their families face being in the UK illegally after the company which sponsored them to come to work in the UK was stripped of its ability to endorse their visas, reports Sky News. Foreign workers employed by care agency Renaissance Personnel in Brighton have just weeks to find a new sponsor or return home before their legal right to be in the country runs out.

The Home Office revoked Renaissance’s licence to bring in migrant workers over concerns about whether vacancies were genuine and staff were being paid. Renaissance Personnel maintains that the company has no connection to foreign recruitment agents.

One worker claims he paid £19,000 to a recruitment agent before receiving a certificate of sponsorship and a job offer from Renaissance Personnel. Soon after arriving in the UK, the worker, named Muhammad, realised there was no work for him.

Brighton and Hove Council confirmed to Sky News that it had used Renaissance Personnel to deliver care to people in their homes, but its contract involved only a few people. A spokesperson said, “We currently have six clients placed with Renaissance Personnel and it informed us directly of both the recent investigation and the subsequent notice it has had its overseas sponsor licence revoked. When an overseas sponsor licence is suspended or revoked our practice is to pause all new referrals to that provider while we review any potential risks.”

Sky News understands Dennis Mawadzi, franchise proprietor for Renaissance, hosted a virtual meeting for dozens of employees during which he explained the loss of sponsorship licence. Muhammad, who was on the call, said workers were upset and angry, questioning what they should do and demanding to be paid.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Mawadzi told Sky News they would be challenging the decision to revoke its sponsorship licence, adding, “Our client denies all allegations and refutes the claim that they have hired more foreign staff than they had hours to allocate. It is essential to comprehend the unique nature of the domiciliary care service industry, where hours are inherently variable and not guaranteed.”

The lawyers add that a “delay in payment” to staff occurred because “our client business accounts and commercial finance facilities were closed without sufficient notice”, adding “all staff will be fully paid”. They said, “We understand the concern raised regarding allegations that staff members paid agents for certificates of sponsorship through Renaissance… our company strictly adheres to transparent recruitment processes…Upon becoming aware of such incidents, Renaissance promptly involves relevant authorities.”

The previous government did not provide Sky News with an answer as to why Renaissance Personnel had been able to bring in so many foreign workers to the UK before its sponsorship licence was revoked. Following the general election, a spokesperson for the Home Office told Sky News, “exploitation of migrant care workers is completely unacceptable. Where exploitation does occur, we will take robust action.”

Renaissance supplies nursing, medical and homecare professionals to the NHS, local authorities, and the independent and voluntary sectors.