THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
London / Leicester- The Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) has declared full solidarity with the RMT and skilled migrant workers who today marched to 10 Downing Street to protest against government changes to the Skilled Worker visa that could see thousands deported from the UK.
Founded in 1938 and based in Leicester, the IWA (GB) is one of Britain’s oldest national organisations representing South Asian and working-class communities. The Association said the reforms were “punishing the innocent and protecting exploiters”, warning that the government’s immigration system is driving fear and division across the country.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch condemned the deportation threats, saying:
“It’s disgraceful that loyal, hard-working people who have helped keep our transport network moving are being told to leave this country. The government must end this injustice now.”
Echoing that call, Sital Singh Gill, General Secretary of the Indian Workers Association (GB), said the RMT’s action “highlights the human cost of a system that punishes those who have done everything right.”
“These are honest, hard-working people who keep our transport, care, and service sectors moving,” Mr Gill said. “They pay their taxes, follow the rules, and contribute to Britain every day — yet they are now facing deportation because of unfair visa reforms. The fight for migrant rights is the fight for all workers.”
The IWA (GB) has warned that immigration changes introduced this year are harming international students, care workers, and small businesses — including thousands of South Asian restaurants that rely on overseas chefs.
Five Key Areas for Reform
The organisation outlined five urgent areas that it says require immediate government review:
• Protect the Graduate Route for international students who contribute over £41.9 billion to the UK economy each year.
• Stop exploitation of migrant workers, after a Freedom of Information report revealed that only 3.4 per cent of abused migrant care workers referred by the Home Office for job rematching were successfully found new work.
• Recognise family unity as a human right, after the £29,000 minimum income rule left nearly half of UK workers unable to reunite with loved ones.
• Safeguard the care and hospitality sectors, warning that bans on overseas chefs and care workers will deepen labour shortages.
• End the hostile environment, noting that immigration enforcement has risen by more than 40 per cent in the past year, creating fear instead of integration.
Mr Gill said the IWA (GB) would continue working with trade unions, community groups, and students to demand an immigration policy based on “fairness, dignity, and respect — not fear and prejudice.”
“Migrants have built this country’s industries, cared for its people, and enriched its culture,” he said. “Britain must choose fairness over fear. Tread carefully on immigration — you risk destroying the very foundations of this country’s success: diversity, openness, and inclusion.”
From its Leicester base, the Indian Workers Association (GB) has pledged to strengthen cooperation with the RMT and other unions in defence of all workers, regardless of background or nationality.
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Source: Work Rights Centre (May 2025), “Less than 4% of exploited care workers found new work, FOI data reveals.”
🔗 https://www.workrightscentre.org/publications/2025/less-than-4-of-exploited-care-workers-found-new-work-foi-data-reveals
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