The Health and Social Care Providers Network (HSCPN) is closely monitoring the UK Government’s newly announced stance on migration and workforce recruitment—developments that are set to have a significant impact on the care sector.
In a major policy update delivered on Sunday, 11 May 2025, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that international recruitment of care workers will be halted as part of sweeping changes to the immigration system. This move marks what she described as a “fundamental shift” in visa policy for lower-skilled roles, including those in social care.
Under the forthcoming regulations, care providers will no longer be permitted to recruit care staff from overseas. Instead, they will be expected to prioritise British nationals or extend the visas of international staff who are already legally residing and working in the UK. The Home Office anticipates that these measures could reduce the number of lower-skilled entrants—including care workers—by up to 50,000 over the next year.
Further details are expected in the Immigration White Paper to be released this week, but key changes include:
▪️Raising the skilled visa threshold to graduate-level roles (currently A-Level equivalent).
▪️A more limited list of temporary shortage occupations, affecting roles eligible for visa discounts.
▪️Additional domestic recruitment requirements, mandating providers to demonstrate efforts to hire within England before turning to overseas labour.
▪️A new emphasis on training and upskilling the UK workforce, with initiatives aimed at re-engaging economically inactive individuals.
The Home Secretary also confirmed that a “Fair Pay Agreement” for care workers is in development to make the profession more appealing to UK-based workers and ease the pressure on providers traditionally reliant on international recruitment.
While the government insists that this strategy will reduce dependency on migrant labour, sector leaders are raising serious concerns. Nadra Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the National Care Association, described the situation as becoming increasingly “challenging,” noting that while a domestic workforce is preferable, it is simply not available at the scale required to meet growing care demands.
Applications for Health and Care Worker Visas have dropped sharply—from a peak of 18,300 in August 2023 to just 1,700 in April 2025, following a series of restrictions, including the prohibition of bringing dependants and a new obligation to prove domestic recruitment attempts.
This policy change adds further strain to a sector already managing vacancy rates, retention challenges, and rising demand for complex and personalised care. With over 10,000 care workers already in the UK on visas for roles that have yet to materialise, the government has urged employers to utilise this domestic pool before making fresh recruitment requests.
Prime Minister unveils new plan to end years of uncontrolled migration – GOV.UK
At HSCPN, we are continuing to gather insights and feedback from our members and supplier partners. The implications of these legislative changes will be profound, and we are committed to ensuring our network stays informed, supported, and heard as policy unfolds.
We encourage providers to begin reviewing their recruitment pipelines, staff development strategies, and workforce planning. Continued investment in local skills development, robust onboarding programmes, and retention strategies will be key as we move into this new era of domestic-focused care recruitment.
📢 Stay connected with us for further updates and sector responses as the official White Paper is released.
📩 If you’d like to share your views on this development, please email us at: info@hscpn.org
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