UK Government Ends Recruitment Of Overseas Social Care Workers Amid Major Immigration Reforms

The UK government has announced a sweeping ban on international recruitment for social care roles, alongside a broader crackdown on what it terms “low-skilled migration,” in one of the most significant immigration policy shifts in decades.

The measures were unveiled Monday in an 82-page Immigration White Paper titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System,” which outlines a comprehensive reset of the UK’s migration framework. The reforms take immediate effect.

“We will close social care visas to new overseas applications,” the Home Office confirmed, citing widespread abuse of the system and long-term sustainability concerns in the care sector. Existing care workers already in the UK will be permitted to extend or switch their visas only until 2028, pending the implementation of a new domestic workforce strategy.

The government argues that the care sector must transition away from dependence on low-wage international labor, stating, “We will instead support long-term workforce planning and training within the UK.”

Skilled Must Mean Skilled

Central to the reforms is a redefinition of what qualifies as “skilled work” under the points-based immigration system. The government will raise thresholds for salary, qualifications, and English proficiency across most visa categories and eliminate what it describes as “loopholes” that have enabled low-skilled migration under the guise of skilled work.

“We are tightening the definition of skilled work — skilled must mean skilled,” the White Paper emphasizes. “Work that does not meet the bar will not be eligible for a visa, regardless of the sector.”

In a major change, the controversial Immigration Salary List — which allowed employers to hire foreign workers at reduced salary levels — will be scrapped. The move is aimed at curbing wage undercutting and reinforcing the domestic labor market.

Employers Face New Responsibilities

Under the new framework, employers will be required to prove that they have made sufficient efforts to recruit from the domestic workforce before seeking overseas hires, particularly in sectors traditionally reliant on foreign labor.

“No employer should be allowed to default to migration. We are rebalancing the system to reward training, not reliance,” the Home Office stated.

A Bold Reset

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the reforms “a bold, necessary reset,” asserting that they will help restore control, reduce net migration, and rebuild public confidence in the system.

“We must end the perception that immigration is a substitute for skills planning,” she said.

The tone of the White Paper is unapologetically firm: “We will not allow temporary migration routes to become permanent. Our reforms will restore integrity and ensure immigration works for Britain — not the other way around.”