Government Announces Series of Immigration Reforms
The Government has announced a series of immigration reforms to reduce the level of legal migration, which has reached record-breaking figures in accordance with the latest reports.
• The headline was that the minimum salary requirement for a Skilled Worker visa will increase to £38,700 from £26,200. However, this will not apply to those coming to work under the health and care worker visa route. This is a relief for care operators, as the increased would be impossible to pay given current local authority funding constraints.
• Care Workers will not be permitted to bring their dependants to the UK, reversing the current rules. Given that most workers bring their dependent children, a ban on doing so is likely to make working in the UK less attractive and they may look to other countries instead. This is likely to reduce the number of overseas care workers coming to the UK at a time when there is a significant shortage of staff;
• Dependants of students will not be permitted to join from early next year, except for migrants pursuing Higher Education courses. However, such exemption is about to be reviewed. We have seen a significant increase in people on student visas working in the care sector and it is possible that these restrictions will reduce numbers, although this group are likely to be more socially mobile than other workers.
The above changes are expected to come into effect from Spring 2024.
James Sage, Partner and Head of the Health and Social Care team at RWK Goodman comments: “While the announcement is not as detrimental for the sector as some had predicted and feared (given that the increased minimum salary requirement doesn’t apply), the changes are likely to have an impact on the ability to recruit overseas workers, who are desperately needed in the sector.”
Professor Vic Rayner, CEO of NCF commented:
“Adult social care faces systemic shortages in frontline workforce, and even with the 70,000 or more international workers joining last year, Skills for Care reported 152,000 vacancies in the sector in October. This is unsustainable for any sector, never mind one upon which millions of people rely for care, each and every day. Last summer the government heralded the arrival of international workers, and indeed funded a programme to support local authorities to encourage the recruitment of staff through this mechanism. However, today, it would appear that it wants to restrict the essential arrival of care workers who have been, and remain, fundamental to care.
“The Migration Advisory Committee was always clear in its advice when it included care staff on the Shortage Occupation List as necessary to bring vitally needed staff into the sector. However, it had always noted that in order to properly address shortages in the care workforce it was essential to enhance the pay, terms and conditions of those staff. That is not possible without government reform, and a proper focus on funding the ever growing need for care. The National Audit Office issued a damning report last month which laid bare just how little work had gone on centrally to move forward the already cut reform work on social care. Out of an overall stated workforce budget of over £260 million, only £1.7m had been spent – and ironically this had been on supporting international recruitment plans the government now seem to be overturning. Without this fundamental work on addressing workforce reforms, restricting the supply of international recruits will only cause greater pressure on services, increasing the risk that those who need care will not be able to access it.”
Professor Rayner concluded: “The government must not put at risk the ability of international care workers to become valuable team members, with vital skills and expertise that are fundamental to the delivery of care. What is needed is a balance between international workers coming into the UK, recruited through ethical practices, and better pay, terms and conditions for all care workers fully funded by the state.”
