Hundreds of foreign prison staff ‘offered emergency extension to visa’ to stop the prison system collapsing

Hundreds of foreign prison staff who were facing deportation under tighter visa rules have been granted a one-year emergency visa extension to prevent a staffing crisis in the prison system.

Rule changes introduced in July raised the salary threshold for skilled worker visas to £41,700, putting thousands of prison officers at risk, as most earn around £33,000 outside London. Many affected staff are from Nigeria and other West African countries.

Following pressure from prisons minister Lord Timpson and discussions involving the home secretary and former justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, a temporary exemption has been approved. Around 2,500 workers were initially at risk, with the extension expected to cover hundreds of frontline prison officers for 12 months. Their dependants already in the UK are also included.

Mahmood had reportedly resisted the move as part of efforts to reduce net migration, but concerns over prison safety forced a reversal. The Chief Inspector of Prisons had warned the impact would be “devastating” without intervention.

The decision comes amid a broader prison crisis marked by staff shortages, rising violence, and operational failures. The government said public safety outweighed migration targets, stressing the need to keep prisons functioning safely while longer-term staffing solutions are pursued.