UK introduces Draconian immigration laws that bar social care workers from bringing in dependants

OVERSEAS care workers coming to the UK will no longer be allowed to bring dependants under new rules the government shall be introducing in March as part of its ongoing campaign tackle what has been described as unsustainable and unfair levels of migration.

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the UK has had a phenomenal increase in the demand for social care workers and has subsequently had to source them from abroad. However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party is an anti-immigration party and how government is under pressure to reduce net immigration to the UK.

As part of this drive, these new measures, which were announced in December but for which a timetable has now been set out, will come into effect in the middle of next month. They are said to have blindsided providers, with some warning they have grave concerns the change could drive people away from the sector.

Announcing the rollout of the new legal migration measures, social care minister Helen Whately said that while she is grateful for the contribution of overseas care workers, she is also clear that immigration is not the long-term answer to the UK's social care needs. She added alongside tightening visa rules, the government is reforming social care careers to boost the homegrown care workforce.

A report from Skills for Care last summer noted that the vacancy rate in social care was at about 9.9%, which is around 152,000 vacancies on any given day and providers have stated that overseas workers have been crucial to their staffing. Skills for Care, which is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, said it does not take a view on whether international recruitment is the right policy choice but insisted that if it is cut, more must be done on building a domestic workforce.

Ms Whately said: “We have launched the first ever national career path for care workers and a new care qualification is on the way. These reforms, together with international recruitment under the new rules, will build on the progress made over the last year, of lower staff turnover, fewer vacancies and more people working in social care."

She added that as part of its efforts, the government announced new qualifications and investment in apprenticeships in a bid to change perceptions of jobs in the sector. This, the minister said will help tackle the abuse of the Health and Care Visa route that we have seen and ensure that those coming through genuinely support the social care system

According to the Office for National Statistics, health and care visas were the most common type of work visa on which dependants came to the UK, adding that this was driving the increase in immigration of those on work-dependant visas. In response, the government has said its new measures will also tackle abuse of these visas, with rules to ensure care providers in England can only sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the watchdog the Care Quality Commission.

Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration and delivery, said: “We intend to lay down immigration rules which will remove the right for care workers and senior care workers to bring dependants, which will come into force on 11 March 2024. The rules will ensure that care providers in England will only be able to sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission, which will help tackle the abuse of the Health and Care Visa route that we have seen and ensure that those coming through this route genuinely support the social care system.”