The United Kingdom has announced a clampdown on care worker visas as part of a sweeping immigration reform aimed at reducing reliance on foreign labour in lower-skilled roles.
According to a policy paper titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System”, presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, the government intends to end overseas recruitment for social care visas.
Tribune Online reports that UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, had earlier criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, asserting that the UK is “a home, not a hotel” while calling for stricter immigration controls.
Badenoch accused the Labour administration of weakening Britain’s borders and warned that proposed reforms could “grant automatic British citizenship to up to two million immigrants starting next year.”
The government document explains that labour shortages in social care are less about skills and more about poor wages and working conditions.
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It states, “We recognise that sometimes labour shortages are not due to a lack of skills.
“For example, vacancies in the social care workforce are largely driven by historic levels of poor pay and poor terms and conditions leading to low domestic recruitment and retention rates.”
It further notes the government’s commitment to improving these conditions through Fair Pay Agreements, which will involve “worker, employer and other sector representatives to negotiate improvements in the terms of employment.”
“These agreements will move the UK away from a dependence on overseas workers to fulfil our care needs,” the document continues.
The government expressed concern over the abuse and exploitation of foreign care workers, saying, “The introduction of this visa route has led to significant concerns over abuse and exploitation of individual workers.”
In response, the UK has begun restricting access to overseas recruitment unless employers first attempt to hire locally.
However, “the evidence shows more needs to be done,” the report says.
“We will therefore end overseas recruitment for social care visas. In line with our wider reforms to skills thresholds, we will close social care visas to new applications from abroad.”
A transition period will remain in place until 2028, allowing visa extensions and in-country switching for those already working in the UK, though this will be “kept under review.”
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