The majority of seasonal workers in the UK who had been sponsored by now-revoked operator Ethero/Telpasc have been moved to a new company.
The transfer will pose no “immediate changes” to their working arrangements and visa end dates will remain the same, according to a letter from another scheme operator, seen by The Grocer.
The letter from operator Pro Force confirms their sponsorship has been transferred by the government.
The communication puts an end to weeks of limbo suffered by seasonal workers, who had received no advice from the Home Office after the revocation of Ethero’s licence to operate under the seasonal worker scheme at the start of August.
In the absence of guidance, Ethero communicated Home Office visa rules to workers, which gave them 60 days to leave the country.
“We would like to reassure you that there is no need to exit the UK immediately and you can disregard any information you have been given aside from what is written in this letter,” the letter recieved by workers said.
The Home Office this week confirmed most workers had now been accounted for and moved to a new operator.
However, some workers have been in touch with The Grocer saying they have still received no information either from the government or an alternative operator.
It comes as The Grocer last week reported more than a hundred prospective seasonal workers in Uzbekistan had been told they could not enter the UK after the licence revocation, despite months of waiting for news.
Read more: Uzbek seasonal workers barred from UK entry after scheme operator ban
They have now been told by the Home Office they no longer meet the eligibility requirements.
Ethero revealed this week it has an “ongoing legal case developing against the Home Office” over its licence revocation.
The company has long denied it has caused any welfare issues to sponsored workers or candidates, and that it has “recruited ethically around the world”.
Elsewhere, hundreds of prospective workers in Uzbekistan have been told they cannot enter the UK after the licence revocation. The news that they no longer meet the eligibility requirements of the scheme comes following months of waiting for an update on their applications.
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