Labour has permitted hundreds of west African prison officers already in Britain to be temporarily spared from new visa rules.

Prisons across Britain have increasingly recruited officers from west Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana.

But changes to visa rules introduced earlier this year raised the salary threshold for skilled workers, sparking concerns over a possible staffing crisis if they were all to leave.

The new rules, introduced in July, raised the salary threshold for skilled worker visas to £41,700 – up from £38,700 – as part of a bid to curb net migration.

About 500 prison officers from west Africa were at risk of having to leave Britain under the rule change, The Telegraph reports.

The Government has however, put in place an exemption for prison officers already in the UK which will remain in place until the end of 2026, with a lower salary threshold of £33,400 then in place until the end of 2027.

Justice Secretary David Lammy has argued the new visa rules would hit prisons dependent on Nigerian and Ghanaian staff, The Times reported.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor warned earlier this year that many jails are dependent on prison officers recruited from west Africa and that changes to salary thresholds mean many were in danger of not having their visas renewed.

He said there would be a “devastating effect” on many jails if a solution was not found.

A Government spokesman said: “Net migration has already fallen by more than two-thirds under this Government.

“We are clear numbers must fall further as we create a migration system that is controlled and fair.

“However, public safety is the first duty of any Government and we must ensure jails can continue to run safely with the right level of experienced staff.

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“This is vital given the prison capacity crisis we inherited.

“For that reason, we have given a specific, time-limited exemption to visa rules for prison officers who are already in the country.”

The Government revealed in April almost 770 Nigerians had been recruited to work in UK prisons last year.

After Britons, this meant Nigerians were the most common nationality to have signed an offer for a role.

This was followed by people from Ghana, with 140 job offers made.

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