Government departments spent at least £5m on overseas worker visas

Whitehall departments spent at least £5 million on more than 1,500 visas for overseas workers in the two years after Labour took power.

The spending includes sponsorship fees for people recruited from abroad and for some workers already in the UK who needed visa extensions.

The Ministry of Justice accounted for a large share, paying £1.2 million for more than 500 visas between July 2024 and the end of 2025, then £2 million for 500 more in the first five months of 2026.

The ministry says it pays required fees to the Home Office but does not pay individuals’ visa application costs.

It employs almost 80,000 people, including a small proportion of non-UK nationals, and says they help keep streets safe.

The spending has drawn criticism from opposition and migration-control campaigners, who argue that taxpayers should not cover these costs and that more workers should be trained in the UK.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said other ministers regularly press her for more visas.