The UK government has announced it will stop issuing visas for overseas social care workers as part of significant reforms aimed at reducing overall migration numbers.
Details were published on Monday in a government policy paper outlining major changes to the immigration system.
The Home Office stated that the visa route specifically for care workers had been “exploited and overused” and would be closed to new applicants from overseas to improve “long-term workforce sustainability.”
The move is a central part of what the government describes as the most significant reset of immigration policy in a generation, aiming to curb net migration figures, which it says have risen sharply since 2019.
Existing care workers already in the UK on visas will be permitted to extend their stay or switch to other visas until 2028. The government says this interim period will allow time for a new domestic recruitment and training strategy for the sector to be implemented.
“The health and social care sector must move away from reliance on low-wage overseas recruitment,” the policy document states.
Central to the broader reforms is a stricter definition of ‘skilled work’ under the UK’s points-based immigration system. The government plans to raise the salary, qualification, and English language requirements for most visa routes.
The policy paper asserts, “We are tightening the definition of skilled work — skilled must mean skilled,” adding that jobs not meeting this higher standard will no longer qualify for a visa.
Furthermore, the Immigration Salary List, which previously allowed employers in some sectors to hire overseas staff at salaries below the general threshold, is set to be abolished. The government argues this will “prevent undercutting of UK wages” and ensure migration supports the domestic labour market rather than suppressing wages.
Add Comment