UK Labour Plans End Overseas Care Worker Visas Amid Sector Concerns

The UK Labour government's plan to end the overseas care worker visa route has sparked significant criticism from trade unions, care sector leaders, and political opponents, who warn the move will exacerbate staffing shortages in an already fragile care system. Over 58,000 overseas care workers entered the UK in 2023, accounting for nearly half of new hires in social care, and their recruitment has been vital to maintaining services amid rising costs and vacancies. Care England's CEO Martin Green described the policy as 'cruel' and shortsighted, while Unison's general secretary Christina McAnea emphasized that the NHS and care sector would have collapsed without migrant workers and called for reassurance for those already working in the UK. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the policy as part of a broader immigration reset aiming to reduce legal migration, prioritize UK-based workers, and link reductions in overseas recruitment to increased domestic training and employment. However, critics, including the SNP and Scottish Greens, argue the policy risks devastating public services and the economy, especially in Scotland, where calls persist for tailored immigration solutions. The government plans to maintain visa extensions for existing care workers but will close the route to new overseas recruits, framing the initiative as restoring control and addressing what it views as a broken immigration system reliant on low-skilled foreign labor.