Startrend International Magazine For Your Latest News And Entertainment Gists
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – The UK Government has announced significant changes to visa regulations affecting care providers, foreign workers, and students.
These measures are aimed at reducing immigration and promoting local recruitment, with particular attention to the care sector.
Effective from April 9, 2025, care providers intending to hire staff from overseas must first prove their efforts to recruit foreign workers already residing in England who require new visa sponsorship. This policy was presented in Parliament on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
According to the Home Office, the objective is to decrease dependency on overseas recruitment while ensuring fair opportunities for care workers already within the UK.
The UK Government has also raised the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas from £23,200 to £25,000 annually (equivalent to £12.82 per hour). This adjustment aligns with the increasing minimum wage and aims to further discourage unnecessary overseas recruitment.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, acknowledged the essential role of international care workers in supporting vulnerable people throughout the UK.
“As we crack down on rogue operators exploiting overseas workers, we must also ensure victims of exploitation can rebuild their careers in adult social care,” Kinnock stated.
He further emphasised that prioritising care workers already in the UK would reduce reliance on international recruitment and strengthen the sector’s workforce.
The Government is also introducing tighter regulations for short-term student visas due to concerns about potential abuse of the system.
Foreign nationals studying English in the UK for six to 11 months can apply for this visa. However, authorities are concerned that some applicants do not genuinely intend to study or leave the country upon completing their courses.
The Home Office plans to expand caseworkers’ powers to reject suspicious visa applications, aiming to curb misuse of this route.
These changes are part of broader enforcement measures targeting companies that violate immigration laws.
Between July 2022 and December 2024, the Government revoked over 470 sponsor licenses in the care sector due to repeated breaches. Companies failing to comply with immigration regulations now face hiring bans.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, reaffirmed the Government’s dedication to safeguarding international workers from exploitation.
“We have already taken action to ensure employers cannot flout the rules or unfairly pass costs onto international workers.
“Now, we are going further by requiring care providers to prioritise hiring international workers already in the UK before recruiting from abroad”, she stated.
Recent data reveals a significant drop in visa applications amid the new restrictions. Between April and December 2024, the UK received 547,000 work and study visa applications, marking a 42% decrease from 942,500 during the same period in 2023.
Applications for health and care worker visas experienced the most dramatic decline, plummeting by 79% from 299,800 in 2023 to just 63,800 in 2024.
