Recent Changes to the Immigration Rules Affecting the Care Sector

Since the government announced its intentions to overhaul the immigration system in the Spring there has been a recent flurry of changes to business immigration rules that employers have been forced to get their heads around with precious little notice.
Whilst the wider changes that were announced in the government’s white paper “Restring Control over the Immigration System” back in May will necessarily effect all sectors of the economy that rely on sponsored workers, the most eye catching announcements were reserved for those sponsoring care workers or senior care workers. At the start of July it was announced that the first of these rule changes were to come into effect on 22nd July, giving those effected just three weeks to prepare.
With just over a month having passed since the changes came into effect, below is a summary of the main changes most pertinent to care providers.
Ending of sponsorship from overseas.
The most significant change for the sector is that care providers are no longer be able to sponsor care workers or senior care workers directly from aboard.
Providers are still able to sponsor individuals if they are already in the UK and are changing employers. Care providers are also able to switch existing workers over to the skilled worker route and extend the permissions of existing workers by issuing new undefined certificates of sponsorship, as long as they have been employed for at least three months. However, this ability will be come to an end on 22 July 2028, from which point the skilled worker route will no longer apply to care workers or senior care workers in any form.
Increase in skill requirement
The ability of employers to continue offering in-country sponsorship to care workers and senior care workers is essentially a transitional arrangement before sponsorship of these occupations will come to an end entirely in 2028. This is intended to enact the policy that sponsorship should mainly or entirely involve occupations classed as coming under Relevant Qualification Framework (RQF) Level 6, which is graduate level.
Consulting with pool of displaced workers
Following the ending of sponsorship for care staff coming directly from overseas, and because switching existing employees over to the skilled worker route is now dependent on workers being employed for a least three months, employers are no longer required to consult with the pool of displaced overseas workers before they issue fresh certificates of sponsorship.
Right to Indefinite leave to remain
Whilst this is not amongst the changes that came into force on 22 July 2025, the government have announced their intention to increase the period that individuals need to be lawfully in the UK before they can acquire indefinite leave to remain. The government White Paper outlines plans to extend this qualification period from five years to ten years. Whilst there is currently no indication whether or not this will apply to individuals already on the qualification route, if the rule change is essentially retroactive and the ability to extend visas remains limited to five years, there will be some sponsored workers who came to the UK after July 2023 and will not be able to reach this new ten year qualification period. Neither sponsored care workers nor senior care workers will be able to renew their visas after July 2028.
Conclusion:
The 22 July changes were as swift in their application as they were serious in their effect. Much of the debate within the sector has focussed on how it will cope if providers are unable to rely on the skilled worker route which for many, has allowed their staffing to stay afloat against an increasing number of unfilled vacancies. The deadline of July 2028 for the ending of all sponsorship for care workers and senior care workers is foreboding for many, yet with almost three years to go, some in the profession are speculating that this may be put back depending on the real term effects on care providers and the overall health of the sector as the deadline approaches.