US EditionUK care homes banned from recruiting from overseas in bid to slash migration numbers
- On May 12, 2025, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that care homes will no longer recruit overseas care workers, closing the care worker visa route.
- This decision follows Labour's broader immigration crackdown aimed at reducing net migration significantly below 500,000 amid rising concerns over low-skilled visa approvals.
- The care sector faces persistent staffing shortages, with over 130,000 vacancies reported and reliance on more than 185,000 overseas recruits between 2021/22 and 2023/24.
- Dr Jane Townson, CEO of the Homecare Association, described international recruitment as a 'lifeline' while warning the change risks worsening care availability for vulnerable people.
- The policy aims to boost UK training and higher-skilled migration but raises concerns about care home closures and added pressure on NHS services due to staffing shortfalls.
10 Articles
10 Articles
UK care homes face ban on recruiting staff from overseas
After a drubbing in the local elections and with migrants continuing to cross the Channel in small boats, the government is set to unveil its plan to reduce migration numbers on Monday. But the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has given a sneak preview of some details today – saying there will be further restrictions on low-skilled migration and the end of the care worker visa for overseas recruitment.
UK To End Overseas Care Worker Recruitment Scheme
The UK government is set to ban care homes from hiring workers from abroad, marking a major policy shift in its effort to slash net migration numbers to well below half a million annually. This decision forms part of Labour’s long-awaited white paper on migration, which outlines sweeping reforms targeting immigration and training shortfalls. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to unveil the full package of reforms on Monday, May 12. These …
Labour's Shift On Migration May Assuage Voter's Concerns - But Risks Impacting Already Struggling Care Sector - Great Yorkshire Radio
And it seems both have taken a clear message from the insurgent party’s signature attitude towards migration. Politics live: Care homes face ban on overseas recruitment Polls regularly show the issue is a top concern for voters. While stopping the boats driving illegal migration is proving as difficult for Labour as it was for the Tories – the government has the levers to control legal migration much more directly. This week, Sir Keir Starmer an…
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