UK’s ban on overseas care worker recruitment sparks sector outrage

The UK Labour government’s decision to end the recruitment of care workers from overseas has ignited strong backlash from trade unions and leaders within the care sector, who warn the move could severely destabilize a system already struggling with chronic staffing shortages.

The contentious policy is outlined in the government’s upcoming Immigration White Paper, set for release on Monday, and forms part of a broader effort to reduce legal migration and increase reliance on the domestic workforce.

Central to the plan is the termination of the care worker visa route, a mechanism that, in 2023 alone, facilitated the entry of over 58,000 foreign care workers, nearly half of all new recruits in the care industry.

Care England Chief Executive, Prof. Martin Green, lambasted the policy, describing it as a cruel blow to a sector already under immense pressure.

“The government is kicking us while we’re already down,” Green said. “For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies. International recruitment wasn’t a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline. Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just shortsighted – it’s cruel.”

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Green’s sentiment reflects a growing consensus among care industry leaders, who argue that overseas recruitment has become a critical stopgap amid a domestic labour shortage, low pay, and high turnover.

Christina McAnea, General Secretary of Unison, the UK’s largest union for health and care workers, echoed these concerns and warned that the new policy could unsettle thousands of migrant workers already employed in the sector.

“The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who’ve come to the UK from overseas,” McAnea said.

“Migrant care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what’s to happen to them. The government must provide urgent reassurance that they can stay and continue their indispensable work.”

McAnea also criticized the continued classification of care jobs as “low-skilled,” calling for the swift implementation of fair play agreements to uplift and professionalize the sector.

Despite mounting criticism, the Labour government has defended the policy. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the country must prioritize building a sustainable, homegrown workforce.

“There are many people already in the UK who are underutilized. Employers can recruit from that pool and even extend existing visas,” she said.

“But we do think it’s time to end that care worker recruitment.”

According to early drafts of the Immigration White Paper, the government also plans to tighten skilled visa eligibility by raising graduate-level requirements, limit lower-skilled visa routes, and establish a government-appointed taskforce to identify sectors disproportionately reliant on foreign labour.

One of the more controversial proposals includes a binding immigration cap, which has already sparked debate over its potential economic and humanitarian consequences.

As the care sector braces for the fallout, critics warn that without a clear and adequately funded strategy to boost domestic recruitment, the UK risks deepening the workforce crisis and jeopardizing the quality of care for its aging population.