“These are trusted, hardworking transport workers who were recruited into permanent jobs in good faith… Now they are being told they have to leave the country through no fault of their own.”
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey
The RMT Union has taken its campaign to protect transport workers from losing their UK visa status directly to the Prime Minister.
General Secretary Eddie Dempsey was joined by a group of members employed at Transport for London (TfL) who, under recent changes to the Skilled Worker visa rules, are being told they must leave the UK, despite holding permanent contracts of employment and working in key frontline roles.
The union is demanding urgent transitional protections for all affected staff and was joined at Downing Street by MPs supporting the campaign. The Mayor of London has also called on the government to think again.
Earlier this week, RMT met with the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp MP.
At that meeting, the union highlighted the unfair impact of the policy on workers who were employed permanently and had a clear and reasonable expectation that they would be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.
The Minister accepted that the union had “fair concerns” and agreed to consider the position of permanently employed staff.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “These are trusted, hardworking transport workers who were recruited into permanent jobs in good faith.”
They have been supporting passengers, keeping them safe and assisting in keeping services running. Now they are being told they have to leave the country through no fault of their own.”
We welcome the Minister’s recognition that our concerns are justified. But warm words are do not go far enough. The government has the powers to act and it must do so now.”
“We are calling on the Prime Minister to step in, put protections in place, and stop this clear injustice.”
RMT has made clear it is ready to work with the government to urgently implement transitional arrangements that allow the affected workers to stay in their roles at TfL.
- This article was originally published by the RMT Union on 6 November 2025.
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How is it possible that, after being offered a permanent employment following recruitment, the government decides to send these people back to their own country, copying in this way what Trump does in the USA. We’ve had enough of these copycat actions to which workers become victims through no fault of their own. It is time that this government adopted policies of its own without having to resort to copying the policies of a senile and criminal president who is increasingly out of order.