Changes in the UK health and care worker visa in 2024: What you should know if you’re willing to relocate
In early 2024, the UK government implemented certain measures to reduce both legal and illegal migration into the country. As a result, the Health and Care Worker Visa requirements have been modified.
These reforms, aimed at curbing abuse in the Health and Care route, including modern-day slavery of care workers, are already making a significant impact on net migration figures. Between January and April, applications for the Health and Care Visa were 12,400, a staggering 76% decrease from the 50,900 applications made during the same period in 2023.
If you’re looking to relocate to the UK on the care visa route, it’s essential to understand these changes and their impact on your immigration journey.
Care worker dependent restriction
One of the first modifications, which became effective on March 11, 2024, was the restriction on care workers (SOC code 6145) and senior care workers (SOC code 6146) from bringing dependents into the UK.
In 2023, visa grants to health and care dependents were 203,452, over 150% higher than the 2022 grants of 80,919. These grants accounted for 73% of the total visas to dependents on the work route in 2023.
The rise in figures is primarily due to the high number of grants to main visa applicants. With a lower income threshold than the general Skilled Worker route and an exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge, there were more applications for the Health and Care Visa, particularly the care worker and senior care worker route.
As such, the ban on dependents was to limit the overall number of applicants on this visa route. So far, this new policy has yielded some expected results. In April 2024, one month after being enforced, dependent applications fell to 6,400, an almost 60% decrease from 15,100 recorded in April 2023.
Care quality commission registration
The UK government also began regulating care sponsors through the Care Quality Commission (CQC), an independent health and care regulator in England, on 11 March 2024. This implies that any employer in the care sector hiring workers through the Health and Care Worker route must register with the CQC.
Additionally, care employers already sponsoring workers in exclusively non-regulated activities without a CQC registration can continue sponsoring these workers even for visa extensions. However, they must register with the CQC to hire new workers.
One aim of this policy is to eliminate non-compliance among sponsors. In 2023, the Home Office granted sponsor licences to several care providers that had never been inspected by the CQC, and 275 visas were issued to care homes that did not exist.
The new reforms also aim to address modern-day slavery, worker exploitation, and abuse within the care system. There were cases of sponsors offering employment under false pretences and care workers trapped by repayment clauses, charged illegal recruitment fees, and given false promises.
Minimum salary threshold increase
The minimum salary threshold for health and care workers was increased from 4 April 2024.
The threshold rose from £20,960 to £23,200 annually for occupations on the NHS band. Certificates of Sponsorship issued to applicants in these occupations must meet the national pay scales for their roles or the new minimum salary threshold, whichever is higher.
For health and care roles not on the national pay scales, like public health managers and directors, applicants must meet a minimum salary threshold of £29,000 or the occupation-specific threshold for the role, whichever is higher.
It’s important to note that the new minimum salary threshold for national and non-national pay scale roles will also apply to extensions to existing visas.
Additionally, a Certificate of Sponsorship issued for a Skilled Worker Visa role but sponsored by an NHS organisation must meet the new Skilled Worker salary threshold of £38,700 annually. A typical scenario involves an NHS organisation hiring finance personnel or IT professionals.
Shortage occupation list replacement
The UK government also abolished the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) on 4 April 2024 and implemented a new Immigration Salary List (ISL) in its place.
The SOL had a list of occupations where employers could sponsor migrant care workers for a pay 20% less than the general threshold. However, the ISL has abolished this discount.
The health and care roles on the ISL must meet a minimum salary threshold of £23,200 or pay the occupation-specific threshold, whichever is higher. This new minimum salary threshold is around 10% higher than the SOL’s old threshold of £20,960.
What to consider before relocating to the UK
Social care jobs in the UK, especially outside London, are some of the lowest-paying roles in the country. With the increase in the minimum threshold, some care providers may be unable to afford to sponsor migrant workers.
Even if employers can still recruit and pay care workers, there’s also the restriction for dependents of applicants on the care and senior care route. Many have condemned this policy as harsh, as it means that many families will be separated.
It’s likely that couples who would have previously entered the UK as a main applicant and a dependent may decide to apply as main applicants instead. However, this means that the family will no longer have the mobility advantage that dependents typically have of working for more than one employer and will be tied to their sponsor.
Furthermore, the UK government is also introducing measures to recruit more domestic workers into the care system to reduce the sector’s reluctance to use foreign labour. These measures include the investments of funds to train local talent to undertake adult care roles and qualifications to equip social care leaders.
If these measures produce the government’s desired results, the care sector will no longer be strained, and employers will have less need to recruit overseas talent. Combined with the new Health and Care Visa requirement, the UK will become less attractive for care workers, who may consider migrating to other countries instead.