The UK government will ban the overseas recruitment of care workers as part of a sweeping overhaul of immigration policy aimed at reducing net migration, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced.
Speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on May 11, Cooper revealed that the government will close the care worker visa route, a move intended to help cut the number of low-skilled migrant workers by approximately 50,000 this year.
“We’re going to introduce new restrictions on lower-skilled workers, so new visa controls,” Cooper said. “We believe the focus should be on high-skilled migration and investing in training here in the UK. That’s why we’re closing the care worker visa for overseas recruitment.”
The announcement was echoed on the official Gov.uk website, with the Home Office stating that, under proposals to be outlined on Monday, May 12, the government will “go further and put an end to any more overseas recruitment.”
The decision comes ahead of the publication of the Immigration White Paper, which will detail the broader scope of the government’s migration reforms.
The policy has drawn sharp criticism from the care sector. Care England, the leading representative body for independent care providers, described the move as a “crushing blow” to an already overstretched industry. Chief Executive Martin Green called international recruitment a “lifeline,” warning of growing staff shortages and “mounting vacancies.”
Cooper also confirmed that the government is preparing to assess foreign nationals convicted of any crimes in the UK for potential deportation.
Pressed by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg about how care homes will fill staffing gaps, Cooper suggested that employers could turn to individuals already in the UK, including those on other visa routes and care workers who have previously arrived but were exploited by rogue employers.
“These are people who came here in good faith to work in care and should be supported into proper employment,” she said. “We do think it’s time to end that care worker recruitment from abroad.”
