The UK government is set to ban care homes from hiring workers from abroad, marking a major policy shift in its effort to slash net migration numbers to well below half a million annually.

This decision forms part of Labour’s long-awaited white paper on migration, which outlines sweeping reforms targeting immigration and training shortfalls.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to unveil the full package of reforms on Monday, May 12. These changes also include stricter deportation efforts for foreign nationals with criminal records, new employer obligations to train domestic staff, and a higher educational threshold for skilled workers entering the country.

According to Cooper, excessive immigration paired with underinvestment in UK-based workforce development is creating “distortions” that are “undermining the economy.” Net migration figures reached a staggering 900,000 in 2023 before falling to just over 700,000 a year later. Although no specific target has been set, Cooper emphasized that numbers must fall “significantly” below the 500,000 threshold.

A key component of this plan is the overhaul of the care worker visa, which will now be restricted from being used for overseas recruitment. Cooper pointed to recent surges in foreign hires in the sector without systemic reform, stating, “We saw that huge increase in care work recruitment from abroad, but without actually ever tackling the problems in the system.”

“If we just carry on saying immigration is the answer, we undermine both the economy and the immigration system.”
Yvette Cooper

UK To End Overseas Care Worker Recruitment Scheme — Yvette Cooper

This move, however, has sparked concern across the UK’s care industry. Critics warn the new restrictions could exacerbate staffing shortages and risk closures in an already overstretched sector. Tory policies that previously barred care workers from bringing dependents had already triggered a steep decline in visa applications, from 129,000 in the year to March 2024 to just 26,000 by March 2025.

Migration Policy Sparks Care Sector Backlash

Age UK recently cautioned that foreign care staff were “keeping many services afloat” and warned that some care homes may be forced to shut their doors if alternatives cannot be found. This, in turn, could heap additional pressure on NHS hospitals already struggling with capacity.

Dr Jane Townson, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, echoed these concerns, describing international hiring as “a lifeline for the homecare sector, enabling us to provide vital support to older and disabled people in their own homes.”

She stressed that UK-based recruitment alone is not meeting demand, saying, “We are deeply concerned the government has not properly considered what will happen to the millions of people who depend on care at home to live safely and independently.”

Further proposals expected to be included in the white paper involve raising the required standard of English for migrant workers, extending the period before eligibility for indefinite leave to remain to up to ten years, and imposing tougher screening on applicants from countries deemed high-risk for overstaying or claiming asylum.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party plans to table a motion in Parliament on Monday, aiming to cap the number of non-visitor visas and suspend the application of the Human Rights Act in deportation and asylum proceedings.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has, however, criticized the new policy direction.

“Fixing Britain’s migration crisis requires a new radical approach. Labour had the opportunity to do this and have failed.”
Chris Philp

Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan added her voice to the dissent, accusing ministers of “tinkering around the edges yet failing to properly tackle the crisis in our social care.”

“Labour must step up and take proper action to address recruitment shortages, including paying our care workers properly and rolling out a plan for career progression.”
Helen Morgan

As the debate over immigration intensifies, the future of the UK’s care infrastructure hangs in the balance. It is caught between political promises and on-the-ground realities in one of the nation’s most vital sectors.