The United Kingdom has made a dramatic policy shift, intending to abolish the care worker visa route in the coming months.
This decision, announced by UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Sunday, May 11, 2025, is expected to affect thousands of people from Ghana and Nigeria seeking work in the UK’s health and social care sectors.
Cooper added that the phase-out of this visa track, which has been frequently used by migrants, is an important component of the government’s wider goal to reduce migration rates.
The specifics of this policy change will be detailed in a white paper set for release on Monday, May 12, as part of broader limits on firms who rely on visas for lower-skilled professions.
Cooper described the previous system as a “failed free market experiment,” and told the BBC that these measures aim to reduce yearly migrant inflows by around 50,000, though she did not provide a net migration target. Speaking to Sky News, she stated that she expects a “significantly more” substantial reduction than 500,000.
This policy shift comes amid recent victories in local elections by the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, which is currently polling higher than the Labour party. On Sunday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged to “restore control and cut migration” with strict new measures, assuring “British workers— I’ve got your back.”
The imminent care visa ban has raised concerns among care providers, who are already facing crucial workforce shortages. Jane Townson of the Homecare Association questioned if the sector could be staffed without this migration channel and proper finance.
While noting these concerns, Cooper proposed that care providers prioritise hiring from the current pool of 10,000 migrants in the UK on care visas, some of whom she alleged had selected employment that were either non-existent or substandard.
She also promised a new “fair pay agreement” for care workers, pointing out the prior failure to address structural concerns despite an increase in international care worker recruitment.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the proposed revisions as a modest “50,000 tweak,” criticising the Conservative government of acting “too late” after migration peaked at almost 900,000 in 2023.
In addition to the care worker visa restriction, the government plans to limit skilled worker visas to graduate-level employment and non-graduate visas to tightly time-limited positions related to specific industry demands.
Changes for overseas students are expected to be less dramatic, although colleges will face greater enforcement of visa regulation compliance.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice linked his party’s success in local polls to public displeasure with high levels of migration, calling the government’s plan a failure and arguing for a dedicated Department of Immigration.
