The UK has stopped hiring care workers from abroad, and the new immigration laws will not permit recruiting care workers from abroad in the future.
The UK government’s Immigration White Paper, to be published in Parliament today, will formally announce this new rule for foreign care workers.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, in a note, says that care workers from overseas have made a huge contribution to social care in the UK, but too many have been subject to shameful levels of abuse and exploitation.
In March, the Home Office revealed over 470 care providers had had their licence to sponsor international staff suspended since 2022.
Under plans to be outlined on Monday, 12 May, the government will go further and put an end to any more overseas recruitment.
Government data shows that around 40,000 workers have been displaced, many of whom are ready to rejoin the workforce. Foreign employees who are currently sponsored to work lawfully in the industry will have the option to stay longer, change sponsors, and apply to settle, including those who need to switch employers following a sponsor licence revocation.
The UK’s Workforce Pathway, unveiled in January, aims to strengthen the adult social care sector by transitioning away from reliance on international workers to meet care demands.
Earlier in March 2024, overseas care workers were banned from bringing dependent family members to the UK, thereby preventing their entry.
A few weeks back, the UK tightened the care workers hiring rules. From 9 April, care providers who want to recruit a new worker from overseas will have to first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to unveil the Immigration White Paper on May 12, 2025, which will introduce stricter policies to reduce net migration in the UK, following a record high of nearly one million net migrations in the year ending June 2023.