In recent years, international recruitment has been a lifeline for care providers facing chronic staffing shortages. But recent immigration reforms have dramatically shifted the landscape, leaving many wondering how they will maintain safe staffing levels and quality care.

The Decline in Visa Grants

In the year ending June 2025, only 7,378 Health and Care Worker visas were granted to Care Workers and Senior Care Workers – a staggering decrease of 88% on the previous year. At its peak in August 2023, 18,300 Health and Care Worker visa applications were made in a single month. At July 2025, this plummeted to just 1,300.

This downward trend is a direct result of the tough implementation of UK immigration policy in the social care sector, including the inability of sponsored Care Workers and Seniors to bring dependants to the UK in March 2024 and the introduction of the care worker recruitment requirement from regional care partnerships in April 2025 and crucially, the impact of the Immigration White Paper ("Restoring Control over the Immigration System").

The White Paper brought with it an announcement in May 2025 that the sponsorship of care workers was coming to an end. With effect from 22 July 2025, providers are no longer able to recruit workers from overseas to work as Care Workers and Senior Care Workers under the Skilled Worker visa. Sponsorship had been permitted since 15 February 2022 when these roles were added to the Shortage Occupation list as it was then known, as an exception to the skill level requirement. As a result of the increase in skill level with effect from 22 July, carers travelling to the UK to work are no longer eligible for a work visa.

The Short-Term Future

The concession granted by the White Paper is that a short-term transitional arrangement has been put in place for the continued recruitment of UK based carers until 22 July 2028. Providers have seen this as a short-term saving grace, allowing them to:

• Extend the Skilled Worker visas of existing members of staff who they already sponsor as a Care Worker or Senior Care Worker;
• Sponsor existing Care Workers and Seniors moving to the Skilled Worker visa e.g. from a Student visa, Graduate visa or Dependant visa, where they have been working in the role for at least the three months; and
• Recruit new members of staff from other providers, who already hold a Skilled Worker visa, sponsored as a Care Worker or Senior.

As is often the case with immigration policy, the end date of 22 July 2028 is subject to review and, could be brought forwards if there are concerns of abuse of this concession.

Challenges Ahead

It is hard to envisage how the heavy reliance on international recruitment can be reduced while providers' ability to increase pay to increase the attractiveness of private sector front-line caring roles is restricted by increasing operating costs, insufficient government funding, lack of integration with the NHS and so on.

In addition, the Employment Rights Bill is expected to be approved in the coming weeks and will bring with it a raft of changes impacting providers and their workforces in the following months and years including:

• Employees no longer needing two years' continuous employment in order to bring an Employment Tribunal claim for unfair dismissal;
• Fundamental changes to the way that zero-hours contracts can be used which will impact many bank workers and requiring the employer to guarantee a minimum number of hours' work and provide compensation for shifts cancelled at short notice;
• The right to be paid Statutory Sick Pay from day one which will further increase employers' costs;
• The establishment of the Fair Work Agency and the Fair Pay Agreement for social care;
• Relaxation of the rules for Trade Unions, making it more simple to gain recognition and enhanced collective bargaining rights;
• Making it more difficult for employers to refuse a flexible working request;
• Extending the requirement to protect staff from sexual harassment at work; and
• Increasing the financial penalty for failing to carry out collective consultation when proposing to make 20 or more employees redundant.

When coupled with the Home Office's continued scrutiny of care providers' sponsorship and right to work check compliance it is clear that the demand on managers' time and providers' resources has never been tougher.

Retention and Compliance

Alongside succession planning, upskilling staff, appropriate use of AI and looking after employees' health and wellbeing; retaining your international workforce has never been more important. Competition for good quality sponsored workers in the sector remains high and providers cannot afford to lose sponsored staff. Properly managing your sponsor licence, CoS allocations and visa renewals is a key aspect of this.

Support for Providers

Visit us at stand C54 to speak with our specialist immigration and employment lawyers. Whether you're navigating sponsorship compliance, workforce retention, or preparing for upcoming legislative changes, we're here to help.

In the meantime

We have a number of free events coming up:

1 October 2025 10am The Future of Trade Union Rights (Free webinar)

7 October 2025 8.30am HR Conversations Teesside (Free in person seminar)

9 October 2025 10am Alternatives to Sponsorship (Free webinar)

14 October 2025 10am Employment Law Update (Free webinar)

Find out more and register here – www.wardhadaway.com/insights/events