RMT took its campaign to protect its members from losing their visa status directly to Downing Street today.

Hundreds of staff working across Transport for London and the wider rail network could face deportation under recent changes to Skilled Worker visa rules.

Despite holding permanent contracts and working in key front-line roles, increases in salary thresholds and the removal of key transport roles from the skilled visa list mean the workers may be forced to leave the country.

RMT is demanding transitional protections for all affected staff, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for the changes to be urgently paused.

Earlier this week, RMT representatives met with Migration and Citizenship Minister Mike Tapp, who acknowledged the union’s “fair concerns” and agreed to consider the position of permanently employed staff.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey, who accompanied affected workers to Sir Keir’s front door at Downing Street, said the government must urgently intervene.

He said: “These are trusted, hard-working 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.

“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’s stand was backed by community organisations including the Indian Workers’ Association (IWA) and Turkish and Kurdish community centre Day-Mer.

IWA general secretary Sital Singh Gill called for “solidarity with the RMT and all skilled migrant workers taking their case to Downing Street.

“These workers are essential to Britain’s economy — driving our transport, caring for our people, and sustaining key industries. They deserve respect and stability, not uncertainty and fear.”

Mr Gill said changes to the Skilled Worker scheme had created “deep anxiety” in South Asian communities.

“Many Indian and South Asian workers have made huge sacrifices to come to the UK legally, work hard, and support their families. They now face the threat of losing their status and livelihoods.”

A recent freedom of information report had shown “only 3.4 per cent of exploited migrant workers were helped to find new jobs after reporting abuse,” he pointed out, slamming a system that encourages abuses by treating migrant workers as “disposable.”

“Britain should be proud of those who keep its services running.”

And a Day-Mer spokesman said: “The skilled workers, including members of the RMT, have done nothing wrong — they trusted the UK government and came here to contribute their skills and labour to meet the demands of British industries. Yet the Labour Party is now abandoning them in an attempt to appease Reform UK.”

The government’s changes to Skilled Worker visas have met condemnation from multiple unions, with Unison, the country’s largest, warning they will make it harder to plug vacancies in the National Health Service, for example by denying those working as nursing assistants the right to bring family.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Net migration must come down.

“Under current arrangements, those already working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa will be able to remain in post and apply to extend their visa when it’s due.”