The UK Government has confirmed that care workers will be removed from the visa sponsorship regime, bringing an end to overseas recruitment of care workers.
The announcement forms part of the May 2025 immigration white paper, Restoring Control Over the Immigration System, which outlines wide-ranging changes to work visa eligibility and skilled worker access as part of a broader effort to reduce net migration.
Care workers no longer eligible for visa sponsorship
The white paper states:
“We will close social care visas to new applications from abroad. For a transition period until 2028, while the workforce strategy is being developed and rolled out, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already here. This will be kept under review.”
Although the government refers to a “social care visa”, the term is not technically correct. There is no standalone Adult Social Care visa. Instead, care workers have been eligible for sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa route since February 2022, provided they are employed in an approved occupation by a registered sponsor.
That visa route itself remains open for other healthcare roles, such as nurses, senior care assistants and paramedics.
The change announced by the government specifically affects care workers in occupation code 6145, one of the largest and most heavily sponsored groups under the Health and Care Worker visa since it was opened to social care roles in early 2022. The government now plans to end new applications from overseas for this role, though it will still allow visa extensions and in-country switching until 2028 for those already in the UK.
However, the white paper does not explicitly mention the removal of senior care workers from visa eligibility. Senior care workers, typically classified under occupation code 6146, have historically been considered for sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa route. Given the absence of specific reference to senior care workers in the white paper, it is currently unclear whether they will be affected by the new restrictions.
New sponsorship requirements when hiring care workers
Under changes introduced earlier in 2025, employers in the care sector have already been restricted in how they access international workers.
Care providers must now recruit through designated local partnership schemes and regional mobility programmes funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. The changes were intended to improve compliance and reduce abuse, but they have already narrowed the talent pool for care homes facing acute staff shortages.
Care sector implications
The removal of care workers from the visa sponsorship system is expected to hit the care industry hard, a time when recruitment and staffing remain a persistent operational threat for many in the sector. The change means care providers will lose a major pipeline of workers, yet domestic recruitment remains severely constrained. Many care homes already struggle to compete with NHS pay and conditions, and high staff turnover remains a long-standing challenge in the sector.
Industry groups including the Care Providers Alliance and the Homecare Association have expressed concern that the decision will worsen staffing pressures, with potential knock-on effects for hospital discharges, community care provision and safeguarding standards.
The government’s stated intention is to reduce dependency on overseas recruitment by encouraging investment in domestic workforce strategies. A national care workforce plan is currently in development, with a transition period for existing visa holders lasting until 2028.
In the meantime, employers in the care sector face a difficult reality: they must maintain safe staffing levels without access to new overseas recruits in one of the most labour-intensive and under-resourced sectors of the UK economy. The removal of overseas recruitment routes for care workers will intensify pressure on local staffing. Employers should begin exploring alternative talent pipelines, including partnerships with local authorities and regional schemes supported by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Existing sponsors of care workers
Employers who are currently sponsoring care workers should be aware of transitional provisions and ongoing compliance responsibilities.
Existing visa holders are not affected by the closure to new applications from care workers, provided they remain eligible under the terms of their current visa. The Home Office has stated that care workers already in the UK may apply to extend their visa or switch into other eligible routes from within the UK. These transitional provisions will remain in place until 2028, giving providers time to adjust to the changes while a national care workforce strategy is developed.
It is essential that sponsors maintain full compliance with their sponsorship obligations. The care sector remains under close scrutiny, with the Home Office continuing proactive audits and enforcement action across adult social care settings. Sponsors should ensure they are fully up to date with record-keeping, right to work checks, monitoring of visa expiry dates and prompt reporting of changes via the Sponsor Management System.
Employers are advised to review their compliance processes now, particularly where migrant workers have been recruited at scale in recent years. Failure to meet sponsor duties could lead to licence suspension or revocation, placing current visa holders at risk and disrupting care delivery.
Need assistance?
Organisations currently sponsoring care workers are advised to review their recruitment and compliance strategies now, and prepare for further changes as the workforce reforms develop.
For specialist advice for your organisation, contact us.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
