The UK government has cancelled its overseas recruitment route for social care workers.
The development is part of a wholesale overhaul of the country’s immigration system, which will take effect from July 22, 2025.
The new rules aimed at cutting migration and reducing reliance on low-paid foreign labour were announced in Parliament by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Wednesday.
Prominent in the reforms is the closure of the overseas recruitment route for social care workers.
It is however, inapplicable to care workers already in the country who will be allowed to switch visa types internally until July 2028.
Part of the new rules increases both the salary and qualification thresholds for skilled worker visas.
Henceforth applicants will need at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent while those already residing and working in the UK under existing permits will be exempted from this rule.
“The salary requirements for work visas are being raised in line with the latest Office for National Statistics data,” said Seema Malhotra, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship.
Malhotra added that the Migration Advisory Committee would review the new salary bands and related exemptions.
The reforms will also drastically reduce the shortage occupation list, which previously allowed easier access to visas for jobs in high demand.
