‘I don’t know where to go’: Domestic workers laid off during pandemic left with nothing

Migrant domestic workers and live-in carers across Britain have had employment abruptly terminated during the crisis, leaving them with nowhere to live, no income and none of the state support available to British workers, writes May Bulman

Charities warn that many live-in domestic workers and carers suddenly on the brink of destitution, as their employers order them to leave amid economic difficulties or fear of contracting the virus (Pixabay)

“They said I had to leave. I was terrified,” says Kamal*, her voice trembling. The Indian national has been a live-in domestic worker in various British households since 2005, but in mid-March her employment was terminated. “I said where can I go in this lockdown situation? They said they didn’t care where I went,” she adds quietly.

Kamal, who is in her fifties, is one of many domestic workers in Britain whose lives have been thrown into disarray during the lockdown. She is lucky in that she has been taken in by a friend, so is not out on the streets. But her visa is due to expire in early May, and without employment, she is not eligible to renew it – which will make her undocumented. She’s been desperately trying to find another job, but anyone who has shown interest has said they will only employ her once the lockdown is lifted.

“I’m so afraid,” she tells The Independent. “Finding a job is my top priority, and that’s causing me a lot of anxiety. It’s impossible to find one at the moment. If my friend had not offered me a place to stay, I have no idea where I would have gone and what would have happened to me.”