A single street in northwest London may have brought as many as 350 immigrants to Britain through the skilled worker visa system, an investigation by GB News has revealed.
GB News’s Charlie Peters found that 27 businesses on Northolt Road in Harrow had arranged sponsorship certificates for up to 84 supposedly skilled workers over the past five years.
Once accompanying family members are included, Peters estimated that the businesses could have been responsible for bringing up to 350 people into the country.
One branch of Sam’s Chicken reportedly arranged visas for at least 12 migrant workers over four years. Its manager, herself an immigrant, confirmed the number to GB News and said she was “happy” with the process.
“Local people don’t want to work in chicken shops”, she told Peters.
Those 12 workers could have brought the total number of people entering Britain through the one takeaway to around 50 once dependants were included.
Another business, a supermarket that reportedly employs not a single British worker, arranged two skilled worker visas. Its owner said he hired Nepalese workers because he wanted to help more people come to Britain.
“We want to bring the people”, he told GB News. “They want to come to UK, England, they want to settle here. This is a dream. Dreamland.”
Many of the businesses identified by Peters obtained sponsorship certificates before the minimum salary for skilled worker visas was increased from £26,200 to £38,700 in April 2024. It was subsequently raised again to £41,700 in July 2025. GB News stressed that the businesses were operating within the rules, but this investigation nevertheless raises serious questions about a system intended to address genuine skills shortages.
The Harrow investigation follows a similar case highlighted by Reform UK Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf. A Derby takeaway and shisha lounge was reportedly assigned 76 Certificates of Sponsorship in a single year, prompting Yusuf to ask: “Is slicing shawarma what comes to mind when you think of high-skilled labour?”
The Home Office says it is cracking down, claiming that the number of skilled worker visas issued has fallen by a third year on year. However, the government still issued 111,000 such visas last year and renewed a further 700,000 under the previous, much more relaxed rules.
Reform UK would stop businesses routinely using broadly drawn visa routes to import cheaper overseas labour. Under a Reform government, shortage visas would be tightly capped and issued only where there was clear evidence of an acute shortage in a nationally critical occupation.
For every overseas worker sponsored, the employer would also be required to train a British worker. Migrant workers would be prevented from bringing dependants unless they could demonstrate that they could support them financially.
Reform UK would also introduce higher salary thresholds, end foreign nationals’ access to benefits and abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), replacing permanent settlement with renewable five-year visas.
Reform UK is the only party that would shut down rackets like “Visa Street” for good.
GB News’s Charlie Peters found that 27 businesses on Northolt Road in Harrow had arranged sponsorship certificates for up to 84 supposedly skilled workers over the past five years.
Once accompanying family members are included, Peters estimated that the businesses could have been responsible for bringing up to 350 people into the country.
One branch of Sam’s Chicken reportedly arranged visas for at least 12 migrant workers over four years. Its manager, herself an immigrant, confirmed the number to GB News and said she was “happy” with the process.
“Local people don’t want to work in chicken shops”, she told Peters.
Those 12 workers could have brought the total number of people entering Britain through the one takeaway to around 50 once dependants were included.
Another business, a supermarket that reportedly employs not a single British worker, arranged two skilled worker visas. Its owner said he hired Nepalese workers because he wanted to help more people come to Britain.
“We want to bring the people”, he told GB News. “They want to come to UK, England, they want to settle here. This is a dream. Dreamland.”
Many of the businesses identified by Peters obtained sponsorship certificates before the minimum salary for skilled worker visas was increased from £26,200 to £38,700 in April 2024. It was subsequently raised again to £41,700 in July 2025. GB News stressed that the businesses were operating within the rules, but this investigation nevertheless raises serious questions about a system intended to address genuine skills shortages.
The Harrow investigation follows a similar case highlighted by Reform UK Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf. A Derby takeaway and shisha lounge was reportedly assigned 76 Certificates of Sponsorship in a single year, prompting Yusuf to ask: “Is slicing shawarma what comes to mind when you think of high-skilled labour?”
The Home Office says it is cracking down, claiming that the number of skilled worker visas issued has fallen by a third year on year. However, the government still issued 111,000 such visas last year and renewed a further 700,000 under the previous, much more relaxed rules.
Reform UK would stop businesses routinely using broadly drawn visa routes to import cheaper overseas labour. Under a Reform government, shortage visas would be tightly capped and issued only where there was clear evidence of an acute shortage in a nationally critical occupation.
For every overseas worker sponsored, the employer would also be required to train a British worker. Migrant workers would be prevented from bringing dependants unless they could demonstrate that they could support them financially.
Reform UK would also introduce higher salary thresholds, end foreign nationals’ access to benefits and abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), replacing permanent settlement with renewable five-year visas.
Reform UK is the only party that would shut down rackets like “Visa Street” for good.
