'I paid thousands to a company for jobs that never came'

Key points

• Synetal Solutions Ltd is accused of promising sponsored healthcare jobs that never materialised after taking thousands of pounds from clients.
• London Citizens Advice says recruitment-related scams have increased since the government stopped overseas recruitment for care workers.
• The company disputes the broad allegations but acknowledges the 'guarantee' wording in its emails.

A company called Synetal Solutions Ltd has been accused of promising healthcare jobs that never came, leaving people thousands of pounds out of pocket. The BBC spoke to several individuals who said they paid for training and support to secure sponsored healthcare roles that were never available to apply for.

London Citizens Advice reported an increase in recruitment-related scams since the government stopped overseas recruitment for care workers, and described the firm's practices as 'unethical'. Synetal Solutions said it takes the concerns seriously and disputes the broad allegation that its services or candidate outcomes are fictitious.

What clients said

Apurv Patel, who has been in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa since 2023, said he paid Synetal Solutions £3,600 across February and March for healthcare training after being verbally promised guaranteed sponsored jobs. Eight months later, he said he had received no job offers, interviews or meaningful employment support. He described the training as poor quality and 'worthless', and said communication with the company deteriorated after his second payment.

Sarah and Rahul, whose names were changed, said they paid £3,000 while seeking sponsored employment before their student visas expired. Rahul, a former dentist in India, said the training mentor knew nothing about healthcare. Amisha, also a pseudonym, said she paid £1,800 initially and then another £1,800 after being warned her contract would be cancelled. She said the company applied for only a handful of vacancies and that an employer rejected her certificates as unrecognised.

The promises that were made are impossible promises. They are targeting people with vulnerable immigration status.

— Daniel Blake, director of London Citizens Advice

Company response and official guidance

Synetal Solutions said it provides training and employment assistance and maintains supporting records. It acknowledged the 'guarantee' wording in emails but said contractual terms alone do not resolve concerns about those assurances. The company also said recruitment, sponsorship and visa decisions depend on employers and the Home Office, and that it had records of genuine candidates who secured jobs and sponsorship through its services.

Home Office guidance states agencies may charge for services such as training or CV writing but cannot charge fees solely for finding or attempting to find employment. The Care Quality Commission said there is no single qualification that automatically qualifies someone to work as a care worker. Several healthcare organisations whose logos appeared on Synetal Solutions' website said they had no links to the company, and some said they had not authorised the use of their branding.