UK to End International Recruitment of Care Workers in New Immigration Crackdown

The UK government has announced a major shift in its immigration policy, confirming that international recruitment for care workers will come to an end. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper outlined the changes as part of the upcoming UK Immigration White Paper, aimed at reducing net migration and reforming the social care sector.

The move is part of a broader government strategy to tackle the UK’s historically high levels of net migration. Official figures show net migration reached a record 906,000 in June 2023, with the latest annual figure standing at 728,000. The government now seeks to bring these numbers down while restoring “control, fairness, and order” to the immigration system.

The UK’s Care Sector Faces Major Shift

While care workers from abroad have been instrumental in supporting the UK’s social care system, the Home Office has raised concerns over widespread exploitation and abuse. Many foreign workers arrived in the UK only to face unfair treatment, high recruitment debts, or in some extreme cases, discover that the jobs they were promised did not exist.

Since 2022, over 470 care providers have had their sponsorship licences revoked for failing to meet standards, affecting approximately 40,000 migrant workers. These displaced workers will now be given the opportunity to fill the roles they were originally promised, as the UK shifts its focus to domestic workforce development.

“Too many overseas care workers have suffered under exploitative employers. That must stop,” said Cooper, reinforcing that international workers who are already in the UK legally can continue working, switch sponsors, or apply to settle.

The UK is now accelerating efforts to build a more resilient and professional care workforce from within. This includes expanding the Care Workforce Pathway—a January initiative aimed at professionalising adult social care—and the creation of Fair Pay Agreements to standardize pay and working conditions across the sector.

“This government is committed to tackling these systemic issues,” a government spokesperson said. “By ending dependence on international recruitment and investing in local talent, we’re building a stronger, fairer social care system in the UK.”

Additionally, Baroness Louise Casey has launched work on an independent commission into adult social care, described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to achieve cross-party consensus on the future of the sector.

The full UK Immigration White Paper is expected to be published early this week. It will include details on the elimination of care worker recruitment from abroad and other significant reforms, such as:

• Increasing the skilled visa threshold from A-levels to graduate-level qualifications.

• Tightening the Immigration Salary List (ISL), which currently allows certain skilled roles—like carpenters, graphic designers, and pharmaceutical technicians—to be filled at reduced pay thresholds.

• Introducing a narrower list of exceptions for shortage occupations, limiting who qualifies for temporary work visas.

Cooper stated that these reforms could reduce the number of lower-skilled visas by up to 50,000 over the next year, as the UK focuses on high-skill migration to promote economic growth.

Not everyone is convinced the government’s measures go far enough. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the plans as “too little, too late” and reiterated calls for a legally binding annual cap on net migration.

“Without firm targets, there’s no credibility in the government’s ability to manage immigration effectively,” Philp said.

Despite the criticism, Cooper pushed back against fixed numerical targets, stating they “undermined the credibility of anything that governments do.” Instead, she emphasized a flexible approach to migration policy that adapts to the country’s changing economic needs.

The end of international care worker recruitment marks a pivotal moment for the UK’s social care and immigration landscape. As the government seeks to strike a balance between workforce needs and migration controls, the focus will shift to whether it can deliver on promises to professionalize care work and protect workers from exploitation.

With the full Immigration White Paper due for release, all eyes will be on how the UK manages the transition, supports displaced migrant workers, and builds a sustainable future for its aging population.

Source- Nehanda Radio