The UK government has officially shut down new overseas applications for social care roles as part of its biggest immigration reform in years.
The change, effective immediately, is part of a new strategy to cut low-wage migration and focus on building a stronger domestic workforce.
The announcement was made through an 82-page policy document titled Restoring Control over the Immigration System. The report lays out sweeping changes aimed at cutting net migration, which government figures say has soared since 2019. Officials argue that social care visas were being used too widely and not helping the country build a stable care workforce.
The Home Office stated that while existing foreign care workers in the UK can still extend or change their visas until 2028, new applications from overseas will no longer be accepted. The decision comes as part of a broader plan to train more British workers for these roles rather than continuing to depend on migration.
New rules will also make it harder for migrants to qualify as “skilled workers” under the UK’s points-based system. The government is raising requirements for salaries, qualifications, and English language proficiency. It is also removing what it calls loopholes that previously allowed low-paid jobs to be labeled as skilled.
One of the biggest changes is the scrapping of the Immigration Salary List, which had allowed some employers to hire below the standard salary threshold. Officials say this list led to unfair wage competition and discouraged companies from investing in UK workers.
Employers will now have to prove they’ve tried to hire locally before turning to foreign candidates. The Home Office made it clear that businesses should no longer rely on immigration as a quick fix for staffing shortages, especially in care, hospitality, and similar sectors.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the reforms tough but necessary. She said the new rules are designed to bring migration down, restore public trust, and encourage proper workforce planning.
This new stance signals a major change in how the UK handles work-related migration. The government says temporary routes must stay temporary and can’t become backdoors to permanent residency. By raising the bar for entry, ministers hope to shift the balance back toward training British workers and protecting local wages.
While some sectors may struggle to adjust, the government believes this long-term strategy will lead to a more stable and self-reliant workforce. The full impact of the policy will unfold over the coming years as new recruitment practices take shape and the domestic workforce plan is rolled out.