Fake Care Recruiter Shut Down After Taking Fees From Overseas Workers
28 Jul 2026
If you are applying for a Health and Care Worker visa, or thinking about paying a recruiter to help you get one, read this before you pay anyone. The Insolvency Service has shut down Medrecruiter Limited, a company that took money from overseas workers in Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines for visa sponsorship help it never provided.
The Home Office confirmed the company was not on the official register of licensed sponsors. Despite that, it charged workers upfront fees of up to £1,199 each for sponsorship services. Investigators found "no evidence any application was ever submitted" and said the company never helped a single worker into employment or filed a single visa application. In total, 23 workers lost more than £19,000. When some victims asked for refunds, they were refused.
The Insolvency Service's Chief Investigator was direct about the lesson here: "I would urge anyone considering paying for visa sponsorship services to check that the company they are dealing with is on the approved register." Only an employer that holds a genuine, current sponsor licence can actually sponsor you for a Health and Care Worker visa.
Before you pay any recruiter or employer for sponsorship help, check the official register of licensed sponsors yourself and confirm the company is listed there. Never pay an upfront fee for a visa sponsorship promise you have not independently verified. If you think you have already paid a recruiter that turned out to be unlicensed, report it and seek advice before sending any more money.
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