Care providers in England must now prioritise hiring international care workers already in the country before seeking recruits from abroad under new rules set to take effect next month.

The Home Office announced that starting April 9, employers will be required to demonstrate efforts to recruit care workers already in England who need new sponsorship before considering overseas candidates. The move aims to reduce reliance on international recruitment and tackle exploitation in the care sector.

The policy is part of broader efforts to uphold high standards within the immigration system and provide alternative job opportunities for care workers whose sponsors have lost their licenses.

Decline in overseas care worker visas

Recent figures show a significant drop in health and care worker visas issued for those moving to the UK. The number fell from 348,157 in 2023 to 110,833 in 2024—a 68% decrease. This decline follows tighter migration policies introduced in January 2024 under the previous Conservative government, which included banning overseas care workers from bringing dependants and raising the salary threshold for skilled workers to GBP38,700.

Crackdown on care sector abuses

Since July 2022, more than 470 sponsor licenses in the care sector have been revoked, impacting over 39,000 workers since October 2020. This crackdown aims to curb abuses and ensure ethical recruitment practices.

Seema Malhotra, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, said:  “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”.

Stephen Kinnock, 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”.

Updated salary requirements

To further support fair wages, the government is adjusting minimum salary thresholds for skilled worker visas, ensuring care workers earn at least GBP12.82 per hour, in line with the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

This policy shift reflects a growing effort to balance workforce needs while safeguarding migrant workers from exploitation in the social care sector. Photo by Steve Cadman, Wikimedia commons.