UK introduces stringent new measures to curb the recruitment of care workers from abroad

BRITAIN has introduced stringent new visa rules for care providers and health workers aimed at curtailing their recruitment from overseas as part of a major crackdown on migrant employees from developing nations from across the Commonwealth.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a surge in the demand for care workers in Britain as the elderly were affected by it the most. This led to numerous agencies recruiting large numbers of staff from abroad, especially from Commonwealth countries like India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, Bangladesh and Kenya.

In a bid to now clampdown on this influx of care workers, the government has introduced Draconian measures under which employers will have to prioritise hiring foreign carers already living in England before recruiting from overseas. Laid out before Parliament yesterday, the government said it hopes these new measures should end the reliance on overseas recruitment and bring down record levels of immigration.

Under the new regime, care providers who wish to recruit staff from abroad will have to first prove that they have attempted to employ someone already in the country who needs new visa sponsorship. Also, according to the Home Office, the minimum salary required for skilled worker visas is being increased to £25,000 (or £12.82 per hour) from £23,200 per year to reflect the rise in the UK minimum wage.

Stephen Kinnock, the UK minister of state for care, said: “International care workers play a vital role in our social care workforce. We value their contribution and work supporting vulnerable people across the country every day.

“As we crack down on shameful rogue operators exploiting overseas workers here in the UK, we must do all we can to get the victims back into rewarding careers in adult social care. Prioritising care workers who are already in the UK will get people back to work reducing our reliance on international recruitment, and make sure our social care sector has the care professionals it needs.”

Changes to the short-term student route, which will expand powers for caseworkers to refuse visa applications suspected of not being genuine, have also been confirmed in a bid to clampdown on abuse of the system. People from abroad who are studying English in Britain for between six and 11 months are allowed to apply for the permit but the Home Office said there are increasing concerns that the route is being abused by people who do not actually intend to study or leave the UK at the end of their course.

Between July 2022 and December 2024, the UK government revoked more than 470 sponsor licenses in the care sector. In that crackdown, measures were introduced that saw companies who repeatedly broke immigration employment laws banned from hiring overseas workers.

Seema Malhotra, the UK minister for migration and citizenship, added: “Those who have come to the UK to support our adult care sector should have the opportunity to do so, free from abuse and exploitation. We have already taken action to ensure employers are not able to flout the rules with little consequence or exploit international workers for costs they were always supposed to pay.

“We are now going further, requiring employers in England to prioritise recruiting international care workers who are already here and seeking new sponsorship, before recruiting from overseas.”

Figures released earlier this year showed nearly 400,000 fewer people from abroad have applied for UK work or study visas since strict new immigration rules came into force. Provisional data showed 547,000 visa applications were received between April and December 2024, down from 942,500 in the same period in 2023.

This drop of 395,100, or 42%, has been driven by sharp falls in the number of overseas students and foreign care workers applying to come to Britain. Applications to come on a health and care worker visa fell by a much steeper 79%, from 299,800 in April to December 2023 compared with 63,800 in the same period last year.