The United Kingdom has officially banned international recruitment for social care roles as part of a sweeping immigration overhaul aimed at drastically reducing so-called “low-skilled migration.” The new policy was unveiled Monday in an 82-page Immigration White Paper titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System.”
According to the document released by the Home Office, the UK will no longer accept new overseas applications for social care positions, marking a hardline shift in immigration policy. “We will close social care visas to new overseas applications,” the paper stated, citing concerns over exploitation and unsustainable dependency on low-wage foreign labour.
“This route has been exploited and overused in ways that damage public confidence and do not support long-term workforce sustainability,” the Home Office added.
The White Paper represents the most significant reset of the UK’s immigration system in a generation. It comes amid mounting political pressure to reduce net migration, which has reportedly quadrupled between 2019 and 2023.
Under the new rules, existing care workers already in the UK will be allowed to extend or switch their visas only until 2028, as the government begins rolling out a new domestic workforce development strategy.
A central element of the reforms is a stricter definition of “skilled work” under the UK’s points-based immigration system. The government is raising minimum thresholds for salary, qualifications, and English proficiency, aiming to eliminate what it calls “loopholes for low-skilled migration under a skilled label.”
“We are tightening the definition of skilled work — skilled must mean skilled,” the paper said. “Work that does not meet the bar will not be eligible for a visa, no matter the sector.”
The government also announced it will abolish the controversial Immigration Salary List, which previously allowed employers to hire workers below the standard salary threshold. The move is intended to prevent wage undercutting and to promote fair competition in the domestic labour market.
Going forward, employers will be required to provide evidence of domestic recruitment efforts before seeking foreign labour — especially in industries historically dependent on migrant workers.
“No employer should be allowed to default to migration. We are rebalancing the system to reward training, not reliance,” the Home Office noted.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the reforms as “a bold, necessary reset,” saying the plan is designed to restore control, rebuild public trust, and end the notion that immigration can replace proper workforce planning.
“We will not allow temporary migration routes to become permanent,” the paper warned. “Our reforms will restore integrity and ensure immigration works for Britain — not the other way around.”
