How Immigration Rules Could Break Social Care
Joe Desmond, Director at Recruit2Care, warns that the government’s new immigration reforms could unravel hard-won progress in social care workforce stability—unless urgent action is taken.
This September, social care leaders find themselves grappling with the fallout of seismic immigration reforms rolled out by the UK government in July. What was once a vital staffing lifeline has been effectively withdrawn — with major implications for the future of care delivery across the country. With care worker visas now closed to new international applicants, salary and qualification thresholds raised, and settlement rules tightening, the scaffolding that’s kept the sector stable post-pandemic has been abruptly removed. These measures have been framed as a move to “restore control.” But from where providers are standing, they look more like a high-risk gamble — one that threatens to undo fragile gains in workforce stability just as the sector begins to recover.
Of course we all want a thriving domestic workforce. But pretending that we can meet long-term demand solely by recruiting British nationals is wishful thinking. Care roles remain undervalued, underpaid, and overburdened. That’s why UK-born workers continue to leave the sector in droves — not because they don’t care, but because conditions make it nearly impossible to stay. In contrast, international workers have shouldered much of the burden in recent years. Since 2022, more than 230,000 overseas professionals joined the workforce, many making profound personal sacrifices to deliver life-enhancing care. To now shut that route down — without fixing pay, career progression or job security for domestic staff — is not only unjust, it’s short-sighted.
Skills for Care’s latest data shows signs of recovery: vacancy rates have dropped, and filled posts have increased. But these improvements are heavily reliant on international recruitment. Strip that away, and we risk a sharp reversal. Worryingly, the number of British workers in the sector continues to fall — down 30,000 in the past year alone. And projections suggest we’ll need almost half a million additional care staff by 2040 to meet rising demand. Instead of reinforcing that foundation, current policy is removing its most critical support beam.
Concerns around ethical recruitment are valid — especially regarding staff from WHO red list countries. But eliminating international hiring altogether is a blunt instrument for a nuanced issue. Rather than shutting down pathways, we should be strengthening ethical recruitment frameworks and ensuring oversight. Many care providers are already working hard to improve standards — but they need guidance, not punishment. And let’s be clear: care workers make up a small fraction of overall migration numbers. Yet they’re being hit hardest by reforms aimed at broader political targets.
The ripple effect of these changes is already being felt. Providers are struggling to fill rotas. Home visits are being reduced. Complex care packages are being turned down. Behind every vacancy is a person — an older adult left waiting for support, a family stretched to breaking point, a vulnerable individual whose needs go unmet. This isn’t a future crisis. It’s unfolding now.
The government could have pursued a dual strategy: invest in domestic workforce transformation while retaining international recruitment as a necessary bridge. Instead, it chose an abrupt withdrawal with no clear plan to fill the gap. The long-promised Fair Pay Agreement and Employment Rights Bill are steps in the right direction — but they remain underfunded and years away from impact. We need action now.
To safeguard the future of social care, we urge policymakers to:
• Reopen and reform the Health and Care Worker visa route, with stronger ethical standards and realistic eligibility criteria.
• Accelerate funding and delivery of the Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay and job quality for domestic staff.
• Support and retain international workers already in the UK, many of whom now face uncertainty and stress.
• Invest in a national recruitment strategy with tangible incentives and career pathways to attract homegrown talent into the sector.
The adult social care sector has shown remarkable resilience — but resilience alone won’t secure its future. This moment demands honesty: about what’s working, what’s not, and what it truly takes to build a sustainable workforce. We can’t afford to let immigration policy become disconnected from reality on the ground. The ladder has been pulled up. Now is the time to rebuild it — with urgency, with compassion, and with policy that matches the scale of the challenge ahead.
recruit2care.co.uk