LONDON: The UK government has introduced new regulations for care worker visas, placing greater emphasis on hiring workers already in England before recruiting from overseas.
The revised rules, which were laid in Parliament on 12 March, will take effect from 9 April 2025.
The changes aim to reduce reliance on foreign workers, ensure fair wages, and address concerns over visa exploitation.
Prioritising local recruitment
Under the new requirements, care providers in England must first attempt to recruit from a pool of workers already in the country who need new sponsorship before hiring from abroad. This is expected to help international workers who are already in the UK secure employment while also reducing the burden on the immigration system.
The government’s Plan for Change seeks to link immigration policies with skills development and economic growth. Employers failing to comply with recruitment rules will face stricter oversight, and rogue operators exploiting workers will be targeted more aggressively.
Revised salary thresholds
To reflect updated data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the government has set new minimum wage requirements for Skilled Worker visa holders, including care workers. Effective 9 April, care workers must be paid at least £12.82 per hour, or £25,000 per annum, up from the previous £23,200 per annum threshold.
Health and education professionals, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and teachers, will also see their minimum pay adjusted according to national pay scales. Notably, Band 3 roles within the NHS will no longer meet the salary threshold for visa sponsorship unless the Agenda for Change pay award raises wages above the new threshold. Employers will need to assess the impact of these changes on their workforce planning.
Crackdown on visa misuse
Alongside care worker visa reforms, the government is strengthening measures to prevent abuse in the Short-Term Student visa route. The visa, which allows individuals to study English in the UK for 6 to 11 months, has raised concerns due to potential misuse by those with no genuine intention of studying or leaving the country upon course completion. New powers will allow caseworkers to reject applications suspected of being fraudulent.
Since July 2022, the UK government has revoked over 470 sponsor licences in the care sector due to rule violations, affecting more than 39,000 workers since October 2020. Additionally, employers are now banned from charging workers for sponsorship costs, preventing financial exploitation and reducing the risk of care workers falling into unsustainable debt.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, acknowledged the crucial role of international care workers in the UK’s social care sector but reaffirmed the need to reduce dependency on overseas recruitment. He emphasised that the new measures will help legitimate workers continue their careers while preventing bad actors from taking advantage of the visa system.
"Prioritising care workers who are already in the UK will get people back to work, reduce our reliance on international recruitment, and ensure our social care sector has the professionals it needs," said Kinnock.
Seema Malhotra, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, also highlighted the government’s commitment to preventing 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."
What this means for employers and workers
For care providers, compliance with these new recruitment requirements will be essential. They must work with relevant regional partnerships and demonstrate efforts to recruit affected workers before seeking overseas candidates. A list of regional partnership contacts will be published on the GOV.UK website to facilitate this process.
Workers already in the UK on a care worker visa (SOC 6135) or senior care worker visa (SOC 6136) will not be impacted by the new hiring rules. Similarly, those switching from another visa route who have been employed by the same provider for at least three months will also be exempt.
As the UK government continues to implement stricter immigration policies, further details are expected to be outlined in the forthcoming Immigration White Paper. Employers, care workers, and students looking to move to the UK must stay updated on these changes to avoid disruptions to their plans.